Dating Down Under
by Kgirl1
Summary: There's a new waiter in town, and he's just about captured the attention of every girl in Handler's Corners, including that of a certain BF5 member...
1. What's your Number?

**So.**

**I don't know about you guys, but I think it's Agura's turn to get hit with Cupid's arrow.**

**NON-CANON PAIRING? WHUT?**

**I know. Betrayal of the Vergurarian Union. I HAVE NO REGRETS.  
**

…

**YET.**

**Oh! Rated T for…Well, it's a romance fic; I think you can figure it out! XD …Nevermind. It's for language.**

"Man, I'm starving." Spinner complained. "Who wants to pick up pizza?"

"No way bro. I'm here to _win_." AJ said, desperately swiveling his wrists at the foosball table.

"Not in this lifetime!" Vert challenged, fighting back with equal ferocity.

"Yeah, and I'm busy." Stanford called from where he sat on the couch.

"And what is it you're so intensely doing, Stanford?" Zoom rolled his eyes.

"I'm…studying."

"Studying the…?"

"Ceiling." Stanford spoke the first thing that came to his mind. "Love what you've done with the place, Vert."

"Are you talking about that dent from when I misfired my Nerf gun in last year's annual Foam Bowl?" Vert asked, eyes not leaving the white sphere that ricocheted between tiny plastic players.

"Yes, it so completes the chemistry of the room." Stanford sighed peacefully.

"I remember that battle!" Zoom called out.

"I remember my team winning. AGAIN." Agura called, leaning over to high-five Spinner

"That's not fair, you guys had the least area to shoot at!" Stanford pouted.

"Are you joking? Don't those Nerf vests cover your CHEST?" AJ exclaimed from the foosball table, making Agura redden and throw a pillow at him.

"That's actually very true…on second thought, how _did_ you not lose?" Stanford demanded.

"Do you want an ice pack for that sore loser, Stanford?" Agura rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, can't hear you, studying the lamp."

"GUYS. STARVING, PIZZA-DEPRIVED TEENAGER. ME O'CLOCK." Spinner pointed out.

"Alright, alright, I'll get it." Agura gave in, standing up. "Back in five."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Agura's phone vibrated just as she walked into Zeke's. Walking up to the counter, she scrambled to dig it out of her bag.

"Hey, Zeke, I'm here to pick up." She said, scanning the text from Spinner; something about napkins.

"And what lovely name would that order be under?" A deep, rich male voice that couldn't have belonged to the eccentric diner owner asked.

"A…gurrr…ah…" She said slowly as she looked up to meet piercing hazel eyes. Agura's mouth nearly dropped open as she took in the six feet of pure male Adonis that stood in front of her: rich brown hair with cute hints of blonde that fell perfectly into place, tanned skin, crisp khaki shorts, half-unbuttoned blue polo shirt, embroidered Zeke's apron and all.

"Can't say I've heard that one before." He winked. "But then, I'm not exactly one to criticize in terms of interesting names."

"And what would yours be?" Agura asked, surprising herself with her coy tone.

"Chace." He held out a perfectly tanned, muscular forearm. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Y…you too." She managed to reach her hand out as well to shake his; it was the letting go that was the problem.

"So, Chace, don't tell me you picked up that accent here in Handlers." She heard herself asked, wondering where the flirtatious attitude had sprung from. Chace gave a laugh before answering.

"Right you are, Agura,"

_God, she loved the way he pronounced her name!_

"I'm visiting Grace. We're cousins, but I've lived in Australia since I was a child." He explained. "Picked up the accent, you know. Anyway, Grace caught a tad of the flu, so I'm covering her shift for her."

"Well, that's a bit of a trip, don't you think?" Agura smiled, twirling a piece of hair that had sprung loose from the restraints of her ponytail.

"Yes, well, have to see the family sometime." Chace grinned, and they stood in the awkward silence of two people who had run out of things to say for a moment.

"Oh! Uhm, forgive me, you probably just came for your pizza, enough of my blathering." Chace smiled shyly. "I'll run and get it for you."

"Oh, no, blather on." Agura laughed, clutching a hand to her forehead as she disappeared from sight. _What in the world was going on?_

"Hungry now, are we?" She heard Chace's laugh as a stack of seven boxes of pizza emerged from the kitchen.

"Oh, no, it's not for me!" Agua went beet red. "I-I'm picking up for friends!"

"Don't worry, I was only kidding." Chace smiled.

"Right, ah, how much do I owe you?" Agura fumbled around in her purse, searching for the wallet.

"Please, Agura, it's on the house!" Chace waved his hand in the air as if to say 'it's nothing'.

"Oh, Chace, uhm, that's very generous of you, but really, I-"

"Agura, please," He took her hand, removing it from the bag and clasping it tightly. "Meeting someone as lovely as yourself was payment enough."

Agura bit her lip, turning a bright red. "A-at least let me pay half." She finally recovered.

"Alright, alright, you're too convincing." Chace held up his hands, grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling a few numbers on it. "Here's the bill."

Agura gratefully took the paper, frowning at what was written on it.

"Fifty five hundred, four thousand sixty eight?" She exclaimed.

"No, I believe that's 555-4688." Chace grinned charmingly. "It's my number, all I ask in exchange for the pizza is yours."

"Oh." Agura stifled a grin. "Right." She said, writing the digits as neatly and feminine as possible. "Thank you for the pizza."

"The pleasure was all mine." Chace smiled again with those perfectly straight teeth. "Need help walking those out?" He gestured to the pizza.

"Nope, I'm good, thanksagainbye!" Agura hurried out, taking a deep breath. _What was _with_ her today?_

_**Obviously that fine slice of Aussie glory!**_

_Oh, fabulous, Whoregura's back everybody!_

_**Hey, there is nothing wrong with appreciating a fine male specimen! Not to mention one who speaks with charm, class and the SEXIEST accent known to mankind!**_

_Oh, please, you think we have a shot with him?_

**_Maybe not with _your_ church girl attitude but leave it to me, I know how to bring all the boys to the yard!_**

_I hope you're talking about the milkshakes that are made with ice cream and a blender!_

_**Whatever makes you happy!**_

_Please, he's just a guy!_

_**A beautiful, sculpted by the gods, tanned MAN who asked for our phone number!**_

_It's called an advertisement list, he probably just wants to make sure she gets called if there's any good deals._

_**Quit being so innocent, and call it what you like, but all I know is I'd certainly wouldn't mind going 'down under' with him!**_

_! _

"Great, now I have bipolar disorder as well as a cute guy's phone number!" Agura groaned aloud.

*****A/N: Everybody, meet Agura's alternate inner (sluttier) personality. We will call her Whoregura. XDD **_**Her dialogue is written like this, **__and normal Agura is written like this. _Author Notes will be in asterisks now because Whoregura has claimed **bold**._***_

_**Don't worry, it won't be long before I crush your innocent side like a bad boob job, and then you won't have to worry about it any more!**_

_Ughhhhh..._

"Pizza's here guys!" Spinner announced joyfully as the Tangler pulled into the Hub.

"Gimmegimmegimmeeee!" He ran in, snatching the top pizza box from her and tearing it open. "Aw, cheese." He tossed the box carelessly behind him, taking the next one and repeating the process until Agura had gone from seven teetering boxes to one.

"Ha! Finally! Come to papa!" Spinner cheered, finding his jalapeno and immediately plopping down on the Hub floor to eat it.

"Pizza here I come!" Zoom came in, snatching the box from Spinner.

"Oh heck to the N to the O!" Spinner snapped, jumping after him. "You bring that back right now or I'll-"

"What, G to the A to the Y?" Stanford pretended to snap sassily, mocking him.

"Alright, team up on the little guy, I see how it is!" Spinner crossed his arms. "If you guys wanna go, let's do it somewhere you don't have a giant height advantage…"

"Nerf wars?" Zoom suggested.

"Nerf wars." Stanford nodded back.

"Pizza first?" Spinner grinned hopefully.

"Always!"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Wait, guys, they got this order wrong, they should have sliced it into twelfths, not sixths!" AJ exclaimed.

"Oh heck to the N to the O!"

"How dare they?" Zoom said with dramatic mockery.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" Spinner joined in.

"You guys get the gun, I'll grab the kitchen knives!" Stanford added.

"Don't forget the salt!"

"Ooh, scars?"

"More than Zeke can count."

"…You guys, it's just pizza…" AJ said confusedly, sending everyone into laughter. "I mean, if you care so much I'll go back to Zeke's-"

"I'll go back!" Agura volunteered instantly.

_**Wow. You are one smooth lady.**_

_Whoregura, be nice!_

_**Will you quit it with that nickname?**_

_Sorry, would you prefer McSlut?_

_**Knock it off...**_

'_Big Rack?' 'WHORE-grain'? 'Sex and the Slutty?' 'Slut the front door'? 'P0rn on the cob'? 'Go with the blow?'_

_**I swear, if you don't shut it-**_

_I think you mean SLUT IT! Oh snap!_

"No thanks Agura, I think I'll survive." AJ pouted.

"Okay." She nodded.

_It's okay. I mean, I don't even know _what_ we were thinking, going to see him again when you haven't even texted h-_

_**Ooh! Do I hear a ringtone?**_

Meanwhile, as Agura's cell phone rang, her teammates had quieted their pizza eating and begun watching her, waiting to see who it was.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." She rolled her eyes as they guiltily stopped staring (though not eavesdropping), and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Ello, Agura."

_**SQUEEEEEE!**_

_Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!_

"Oh." She took a deep breath. "Hey Chace; what's up?" Noticing the curious glances of her teammates, Agura stood up, leaving the room and heading for the main center of the Hub.

"Well, I know it's probably a little early to call, but I just couldn't wait any longer to ask you." Chace began.

"Ask me…?"

_Eeeeee! He's gonna ask her out!_

_**The intelligence of your innocent side never fails to amaze me.**_

_I don't see YOU showing up to training!_

_**There's no action there! None of the guys look cute at nine AM, and neither do I!**_

_Well maybe if you didn't keep us up until one AM fantasizing about CERTAIN PEOPLE this wouldn't be a problem!_

_**Hey, Vert, like Chace, is another fine male specimen! I MUST DISECT HIM IN OUR MIND FOR SCIENCE!**_

_Science? Try sex ed!_

_**Girl please, I could TEACH that class!**_

"I was wondering if you would be interested in dinner tomorrow night?" He asked; and if not for that accent he almost would have sounded shy.

_**But thank God for that accent! Okay, now, don't respond immediately, you wanna play hard to ge-**_

"Yes!" Agura responded immediately.

_**Imaginary face to the imaginary palm.**_

_Must you ruin EVERY moment?_

"Great; I'd love having someone to show me around town." Chace said smoothly. "Shall I pick you up at, say, seven?"

"Uhm, actually, how about I just meet you at the diner?" Agura suggested, not wanting Chace to be intimidated by seven interrogatory teammates.

Which she would have to explain eventually anyways…

_Oh no, what if he thinks you live with them because of...you know..._

_**I believe the term your innocent side is trying to imply is called 'prostitution,' and who cares? Make him think you've got the experience!**_

_Do you see what I have to deal with in here?_

_**I know, it's surprising I haven't been able to drag you into the dark side yet!**_

Agura sighed as her two "selves", one apparently nicknamed 'Whoregura', bickered and returned to the den.

"Moo varsh un te lone?" Spinner asked between mouthfuls.

"Moo maa muh what?" Agura shook her head, grabbing a box of pepperoni.

"Who was on the phone?" Spinner swallowed.

"Oh, just a new waiter at Zeke's." Agura tried to be causal.

_**Oh please. You could at least TRY to let them know you're in demand! Might help the blondie make a mo-ove...**_

_AJ? Pass!_

_**No, Vert, abstinence-for-brains!**_

"I hope this 'new waiter' apologized profusely for the pizza-cutting-crime he committed!" AJ grumbled.

"Wait, did you say new waiter? What about Grace?" Stanford exclaimed in terror.

"She's just sick, Stan, not married." Agura laughed.

"Oh." Stanford relaxed.

"She might as well be, with the chance Stanford has." Zoom snorted.

"Oh, like an Oompa-Loompa like you has a better one?" Stanford shot back.

***'Swimsuits and Stormshocks' reference anyone? READ IT!***

"I have a better chance than a soulless baby-eater!"

"Ohhoho, SUH-NAHYUP!" Spinner cheered. "Something's gonna go DOWWWWWN!"

"Soulless BABY-EATER?" Stanford exploded. "Why, you little cross eyed, rice eating-"

"Stereotyping?" Zoom suggested, darting out of the path of the pizza box hurtling towards him.

"Hey hey hey, man, leave the jalapenos out of this!" Spinner cried, rescuing the cardboard entryway to deliciousness. "Are you hurt, baby? He didn't mean it, aww…"

"Okay, well, I hate to interrupt your intimate moment with the slice of fat, but I'm starving." Zoom announced, taking the box.

"Alright, alright." Spinner gave in.

**A/N: Do I EVER include Tezz in all this 'teamliness'?**

…**No…**

**Just assume he's in the corner over there.**

**Alone.**

**Silently watching you all.**

**PLANNING YOUR DEATHS…**

**And on that note, I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Happy Valentine's Day!

**As you all know, today is Valentine's Day…**

**Or as we single people call it, Tuesday…XDD**

**Anyway, I hope you all get chocolate (Even if you have to buy it for yourself like me XD) and enjoy the chapter! Note: I tweaked the ending a little. Other than that, it's the same. Thanks! (And BTW Happy Birthday Imvader!)**

Agura tapped her fingers boredly along the headboard of her queen-size, reminded of the piano lessons her mother had attempted giving her. The poor woman had tried her best, but it soon became clear Agura's talents didn't lie in music.

Or fashion.

Or anything feminine whatsoever.

How on Earth was she supposed to go a date with Chace?

No wonder she couldn't seem to sleep.

_Well, we'd sleep a LOT better if SOMEONE wasn't trying to mentally rip the shirt off of Chace!_

**_Rip? Excuse me, that won't be until at least the third date, I am simply _easing_ it off! There's a difference!_**

_That's so inappropriate._

_**Hmph. Child.**_

_Slut!_

_**Virgin!**_

_YOU ARE TOO!_

_**Not mentally!**_

_I was wondering where all those dreams came from!_

_**Better than all that random crap you submit!**_

_Dreams aren't supposed to make sense, dummy, it was in Personality 101!_

_**Oh, that big book I used as toilet paper?**_

_Ugh, I'm going to bed! AND NO DREAMS!_

_**Good luck with that, I've been working on this great one ever since we nabbed that cutie's number!**_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

_Do you think it's time to wake up? _

…

_Whoregura?_

_**GO AWAY.**_

_Okay, yeesh, sorry!_

_,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,_

_Oh. My. GOSH._

_**You like?**_

_That was so inappropriate! I can't believe you even got that dream past Subconscious!_

_**But wasn't it even better than the Vert one?**_

_Well...okay fine, but still! I didn't even know that was a position!_

_**Are you kidding? There's more than just missionary, you know.**_

_Missionary? Like church?_

_***Sigh* You have so much to learn.**_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

_Seriously, we need to wake her up!_

_**Are you kidding? That dream wore me out; I need at least three more hours.**_

_Really? Of sleep? _

_**No, to submit another one!**_

_Two dreams in one night? Subconscious would NEVER allow it!_

_**Would too! Remember that one night?**_

_Oh dear, don't you start on the vodka incident again!_

_**Oh, don't act you don't remember it!**_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Agura?"

_Go away…_

"No, Zoom, louder, like this. Agura!"

_**Doesn't the term 'beauty sleep' mean anything to these bonzos?**_

"Agura?"

_**IF THEY DON'T LEAVE IN ONE SECOND I WILL GO OUT THEIR AND RIP THEIR-**_

"AGURAAAAAAA!"

"_WHAT?_" Agura finally hissed. The door outside her bedroom went silent, save for hushed whispering.

"I don't wanna ask her! She'll be mad!"

"Well, I don't wanna ask!"

"Come on, she already hates you!"

"Yeah, but you're the one who woke her up!"

"Spinner! Zoom! WHAT?" Agura groaned, yanking a pillow over her head.

"Uhm…Zoom wants to know if you can make us mac and cheese…" Spinner said quietly.

"Ughhhhhhh…" Agura groaned. "Go awaaaaaayyyyy…."

**_THEY WOKE US UP FOR _THAT? **

_Whoregura, shush, ONE of us is still trying to sleep!_

_**ENOUGH WITH THE NICKNAME!**_

"Please?" Spinner begged. "You know we won't leave until you do!"

"Wanna bet?" She replied tiredly. "Seriously, guys, I got like, no sleep! And why would you want mac and cheese for breakfast, anyway?"

"Agura, it's like, six o'clock."

"In the morning?" She groaned.

"Uhm, at nigh-"

"AT NIGHT?" Agura screeched, shooting up in her bed. "I can't believe you guys let me sleep that long!" She exclaimed, running to the door and throwing it open. Yes, she had waken up once or twice, but she wouldn't have dozed back off had she known the time!

"Well, Vert said we should just let you sleep!" Spinner defended.

"I can't believe this…" Agura muttered in panic, slamming the door and running into her bathroom.

_**YIKES. I can't even believe Zoom and Spinner saw that beast!**_

_Whoregura, can it._

_**Hey, I speak the truth!**_

And unfortunately, 'Whoregura' was right. Agura's hair was a rat's nest, and dark circles hung under her eyes.

_Well, whose fault would that be? I warned you about dreams!_

**_I couldn't help it! And let's be honest, he _was_-_**

_DON'T SAY IT!_

_**Fine, but we better get to work!**_

After what was quite possibly the quickest shower of her life, Agura threw on a pair of jeans and her favorite hoodie-

_**Whoa whoa WHOA. No way am I wearing THIS on a date.**_

_I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree. Get out that ruffly top we bought last month!_

_**Ew, really? That one has like, no cleavage**!_

_NOT LISTENING. Okay, now...what about slacks?_

_**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!...Slacks…Oh, sorry, were you not kidding?**_

_Shut up!_

_**Seriously, the slacks aren't happening. I vote miniskirt!**_

_Do we even own a miniskirt?_

_**Hmm….yeah, we better go shopping. Okay, fine, jeans it is, FOR NOW. What are we gonna do about hair? It's already 6:30!**_

"If you guys didn't spend so much time arguing I'd be out the door by now!" Agura huffed under her breath.

_Oh, don't think we can't hear you!_

_**Just for that I'm making you go without your BRA!**_

**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**

**6:45.**

Finally, and without a moment to spare, Agura was dressed, brushed, and ready to go.

_**I'm sorry, 'ready to go'? TAKE YOUR HAIR DOWN!**_

_Oh em gee! YES!_

"No way in heck."

_PLEASE!_

"No! I'll look like a poodle!"

_**TAKE. OUT. THE BINDER.**_

"Nuh-uh."

_Ten minutes!_

_**TAKE IT OUT.**_

"No!"

_Please?_

"No! Quit asking!"

_**AGURA!**_

"FINE!" Agura growled, tearing the ponytail from her hair and shaking it out. "Happy?"

_Yes, now come on, we'll be late!_

"Crap!" Agura muttered, glancing at the clock.

_T-minus six minutes!_

She quickly scribbled a note to the team, jumped in the Tangler and had hit the gas before she was even in the seat.

_**Calm down! Looking sweaty is NOT an option.**_

_Yeah, we can be fashionably late!_

_**Mhm, and-…What's on your foot?**_

_What do you mean?_

_**LOOK.**_

_Oh no! We better turn around!_

"What? What?" Agura exclaimed, slamming the brake…with a fuzzy green slipper.

_**Didn't we tell her to burn those?**_

_We definitely told her to burn those._

"I-I must have forgotten to change shoes!" Agura cursed, whipping around and heading towards the garage once again.

_**Uhm, no kidding, Sherlock.**_

_This is not a good time, Whoregura._

_**You know, one day I'm gonna think of a nickname for you.**_

_Girl, it is on like ugly on these slippers!_

Agura pulled into the Hub, skidding to a stop and charging upstairs to her room, where she jammed her feet into a pair of sneakers and ran right back down, untied laces flopping freely.

_**Sneakers? Reall-**_

_Oh, put a sock in it!_

_**Great, socks, another thing we forgot to put on!**_

_Well, it's too late n-_

"Ow!" Vert exclaimed as she turned the corner into the Hub, running into him full force.

"Ohmygosh! Vert! Hi! Uhm, sorry! Are you okay?" Agura stammered.

"Uh, yeah, haha, you?" Vert chuckled, rubbing his forehead where they had collided.

"Yup, well, see-you-later-bye!" Agura tried to dart around him and into the Hub.

"Hey, why the hurry?" Vert stopped her.

_**None of your business, blondie, now beat it!**_

"Oh, just, ah, have some errands to run, heh…" Agura stammered, trying again.

"Didn't realize Cheerios were such a hot commodity." Vert laughed.

"Yeah, ahaha, you-are-so-funny-well-see-ya-later-BYE!" Agura laughed hurriedly.

"O-okay…" Vert furrowed his brow, watching the Tangler take off faster than Stanford on an emergency hair gel run.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

_**I swear, if Vert wasn't so cute I'd be mentally killing him right now!**_

_We're gonna be fine; don't worry about it!_

_**I'm not 'worried,' I'm aggravated!**_

"Okay, we're here." Agura breathed a sigh of relief as she parked behind the diner.

_**Alright! Let's see…hair, defrizzed and shiny. Shirt, ruffly, feminine, not-very-cleavagey but we'll work on that later-**_

_Whoregura..._

_**Right. Sorry. Anyway, we're here!**_

Agura took a deep breath, shouldered her purse, and confidently stepped through the door to the diner and…

Ever so glamorously tripping over the untied shoelace of her sneaker, landing her flat on her back and at eye-level with a certain someone's feet.

_Why me…_

"Agura! Are you alright?" Chace exclaimed from above her.

"Uhm, I-"

"Oh, here, let me help you up." He said kindly, taking her hand in his and easily lifting her off the ground.

_**I do love a man with muscle...**_

"Here." Chace guided her to a booth, gesturing for her to sit. "That must have been a nasty fall; are you sure you're alright?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm totally fine." Agura assured him, only lying a little.

"Alright, if you're sure." Chace smiled with gleaming white teeth. "Are you ready to go?"

_**HECK YES!**_

"Sure!" Agura nodded, later groaning at her word choice. "What do you have planned?" Another groan.

"Well, actually," He began shyly. "Being so new, I was hoping you might have something in mind. I'd love to see the town."

"Oh! Yeah, we could definitely do that." Agura replied eagerly.

"Perfect." Chace beamed, and stood up, holding the door open for her. "Your chariot awaits." He laughed, gesturing to his car.

"You have a Corvette?" Agura exclaimed, mouth dropping open at the sleek black sports car.

_**I just like this boy more and more!**_

"Well, how else would I drive up here?" Chace joked, making her giggle. "Hop in." He smiled, opening the car door chauffeur-style.

"So, Agura," Chace began, starting the engine. "Where do you suggest we go for dinner?"

_**Screw dinner, let's grab some Mickey D's and check into a hotel for the night!**_

_Oh, stop!_

"Well, there's a great Italian place downtown…if you could say Handler's _has_ a downtown." Agura laughed.

"Sounds delicious." Chace nodded. "And hey, it might not have a downtown, but it's such a quaint little place."

"Mhm, it's nice." Agura agreed. "Oh, take the next left."

"Got it." Chace murmured, and soon they were seated at the restaurant.

"So, what's good here?" He began, surveying the menu. "Beside yourself, of course."

Agura blushed, lifting the menu to hide her flaming cheeks. "Uhm, I think they have great pasta."

"Mhm." He nodded, putting the menu down. "So Agura, tell me about yourself."

"Oh, there's really not that much to tell." She brushed off the question, not wanting to accidentally reveal anything about the Battle Force.

"Someone as beautiful as yourself? Please, you must have countless tales from your travels as an international model/dancer/actress/singer." Chace laughed.

"Oh, stop!" Agura giggled (honest to God, giggled!)

"Alright, alright." Chace gave in, laughter subdued. "But really, tell me about yourself, I'd love to hear."

"Oh. Okay, well, uhm…for starters, I suppose, I have five brothers," Agura began, growing a little more confident in her story as they chatted back and forth, him charismatic, perfect, and charming, and her just hoping she could get the words out of her mouth in the right order! Fortunately, however, conversation was soon moving quickly, and Agura could practically feel herself falling for the practically perfect guy sitting across from her.

"And so then I said, 'Sorry, Officer, they're feeling a bit _under the weather_'!" Chace finished, sending both of them into a laughing fit.

"D-did you get out of the ticket?" Agura gasped, finally catching her breath.

"Sadly, no, he didn't seem to appreciate my delightful sense of humor." Chace laughed.

"Well, _I _certainly do." Agura smiled.

"See, that's because you have good taste." He winked, gazing down to their empty plates. "Say, are you about ready to leave?" Chace asked, nudging her under the table.

"Yeah, let's go." Agura agreed, standing to leave. Chace stood next to her, casually resting his hand on her lower back, earning her jealous glares from every other girl within the restaurant. Agura gave him a shy grin as they walked through the door into the cool twilight, the parking lot lit by the glow of a streetlamp.

"Agura, I can't thank you enough for accepting my invitation. I had such a wonderful time with you." Chace said sincerely.

"No, thank you for taking me!" Agura replied. "I had a great time too." She said, reaching for the door handle.

"Trust me, the pleasure was all mine." Chace winked, leaning in a little closer. Agura's stomach flopped.

_Oh God, is he trying to kiss me? I've never kissed someone before...well, except for that one time with Vert... but that shouldn't count; it was an accident! What do I do?_

"No, really, I had a good time too." She said quickly, nearly tearing the handle off the door and scrambling into the seat. Chace blinked, looking like a sad little puppy and making Agura feel even more like a terrible person, but got in the driver's seat.

_**Okay, pardon my French, but WHAT THE **** WAS THAT.**_

_WHOREGURA! Shame on you!_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Well, uhm, thanks for dinner." Agura said, neither of them quite over their earlier awkward kiss&miss.

"You're welcome." Chace nodded bluntly, his feelings injured, as they stood in front of his car, both a little uncomfortable.

"No, really," Agura tried to make it up to him, afraid that her shyness had ruined their chances, "I had an incredible time. You're…uhm, really fun to be around, and…I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Rambling and flying on instinct, she gave him a sudden peck on his lips and darted off to the Tangler, blushing madly.

_Awwww! You two are so cute!_

_**And his lips taste DELICIOUS! Not that we got much of a taste.**_

_Now, now, be nice..._

_**Alright, alright, but you should totally ask what chapstick he uses.**_


	3. Flashed Back

**Hai guyz! I can haz author note?**

**So, I'm not sure if any of you have noticed various hints at a sort of Vergura accidental-one-night-stand-that-we-all-awkwardly-pretend-never-happened?**

**Well, they were there! XD That will be the main point of this chapter, along with sprinkles of self pondering, a dash of post-date awkwardness (with extra hints at Vergura), a VERY angry Spinner (going along with the flashback), a minor inside joke with Invader, and a STARRING ROLE for everybody's favorite alternate personality, Whoregura!**

_**I would hardly call it starring, I mean, I really only get to instigate a flashback-**_

**ANYWAY, This takes place right after the date, BTW. I know, I know, it's been a while. SHAME ON ME.**

"You two have been awfully quiet." Agura remarked once in the Tangler, headed home.

_Well, I was trying to leave you alone with your thought-_

_**Screw that; I've been rehearsing my 'Sorry for swearing but I still can't believe that we only got one kiss because you two clearly have such great chemistry' speech.**_

_Come on, W, that was cute! I think we did a good job!_

_**Cute positivity, sweetheart, but save it for Girl Scouts. I mean, not bad for a first date, but when you compare that to our 'first date' with Vert-**_

_A, it wasn't a first date, and B, stop mentioning it! It was an accident!_

_**I know, I know, but STILL! Why can't Spinner take revenge like that again?**_

"Please, can we _not_ talk about that night? It was a mistake and it's over now." Agura sighed.

Right?

_**WRONG! Can I get a flashback?**_

_Wha-NO!_

_**Too late! Hey, do we have a xylophone or ripple effect or something?**_

…_**Just commas?**_

…_**It'll have to do.  
**__,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,_  
"Alright, who's the funny guy?" Spinner demanded, stomping into the den.

"What are you talking about, Spinner?" Vert asked from the couch in a monotone, not daring to lift his eyes from the screen lest he burst out in laughter. Spinner's nostrils flared.

"I am TALKING, about, VERT," He began, stomping in front of the TV and slamming the power button, "THIS!" He exclaimed, shaking a piece of fabric.

"What's that, Spin?" AJ asked, avoiding his friend's eyes.

Spinner took a menacing step closer to AJ.

"_What's this?_" He asked slowly. "_WHAT'S THIS?_ THIS, AJ, is the shirt I wore to the Arizona video game convention! _THIS_ is the shirt that was autographed by the original creator of Slugbots of Goopworld One! THIS IS THE SHIRT that defeated legendary gamer Max Lee! THIS SHIRT MADE _HISTORY,_ AJ!" He shouted into the scared eyes of the Canadian.

"And now," Spinner took a deep breath, "Thanks to one of you, THIS SHIRT couldn't fit a premature FETUS!" He shook the shrunken fabric wildly.

"Calm down, Spin, it's just a shirt!" Zoom exclaimed, also trying not to smile.

"IS IT NOW, ZOOM?" Spinner swooped down onto his new prey.

"Here we go." Sherman sighed, earning a glare from his brother.

"Now, my _question_ is, which of you sick and twisted souls did this?" Spinner demanded, glowering at his assembled team, all of them trying to hide smiles.

"Hmm. Alright, I get it, no one wants to fess up, huh?" He nodded slowly, observing them all.

"Could Sherman, my own flesh and blood, have betrayed me so?" He pondered. "No, he wouldn't dare. Zoom, the _master of stealth? _Sneaking into someone's room couldn't have been so hard for you, hmm? Or Agura, the only person in the Hub even capable of using the dryer?"

"Okay, watch the sexism before I make you a _knuckle_ sandwich!" Agura crossed her arms in warning.

"Now now dear, let's not get feisty." Spinner tut-tutted. "Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard-"

"Spinner! We all decided to do it to get revenge on you for getting the speakers to blast Bieber for twelve hours straight!" Vert finally exclaimed in exasperation.

"Oh, so THAT'S how it is? A prank war, huh?" Spinner challenged. "Well, I hope you know, there's two things in life I don't lose. One is my MewTwo Pokemon card, AND THE OTHER IS A PRANK WAR!" He finished, charging out.

***A/N: No relevance to the fic, 'Prank Wars,' but if you enjoy such humor feel free to read it :)***

"Maybe we shouldn't have shrunk it…" Zoom stated worriedly.

"Nah, he'll probably just replace Stanford's hair gel with blue dye again." Vert laughed.

"And he'll probably fall for it again too." Agura added.

"Hmph." Stanford folded his arms. "Vert's right though, it's probably nothing."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Those amateurs, thinking they can just barge into my room, steal my shirts, hmph…" Spinner muttered to himself, stealing into the kitchen with a grocery bag. He darted over to the fridge, humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme, and opened the door, finding the water dispenser and pulling out a suspicious looking bottle he had recently purchased. He poured the entire contents of it into the system and quietly shut the fridge, tossing the bottle of vodka into the garbage can and cranking up the thermostat.

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"Ughhhh….why is it so hottttttt?" AJ groaned, grabbing a glass and running to the water dispenser in the fridge. The rest of his teammates formed a line behind him.

"No clue. I'd check the thermostat but I don't wanna move." Stanford sank into his chair with a salad bowl full of water and a straw.

"I mean, even Agura and Zoom think it's hot! This is crazy!" AJ exclaimed, gesturing to the two.

"I agree, AJ, this is a strange anomaly." Tezz nodded, sipping from his cup. "Does this water taste funny to anyone?"

"Nope, nope, not at all!" Spinner exclaimed, pretending to take a big gulp.

"Yeah, I've been drinking to fast to tell." AJ agreed.

And that was all it took.

"Hey, this *hic* water…tastes like…like…"

"OHMYGOD, MAC AND CHEESE…" Spinner's eyes grew wide.

"YEAH!" AJ nodded.

"No….it…it's like…pickles?" Vert shook his head in confusion.

"Ugh…it's still so…bleahh…" Stanford slurred, fanning himself.

"I'll go turn down…the heat…haha…turn down the heat." Agura giggled, rising from her chair.

"Okay, you guys keep drinking up…" Spinner guided his teammates, in order to ensure the worst possible hangover for his friends.

"I told you," Tezz swayed. "That it…tasted…funny…" He blinked rapidly, downing another glass.

"DUDE, RIGHT?" AJ cackled, slapping him on the back.

"I…I wanna help… *hic* Agura!" Vert said lazily, stumbling to follow her down the hall.

_**Ah, this is where it gets good!**_

_Don't spoil it!_

"Hahaha, it says…eighty-billion-thousand…" Vert said in confusion.

"Eight…bill…what…what?" Agura shook her head in confusion, staring at the thermostat.

"Ha! You…you said…what twice…" Vert giggled, then starting laughing. Agura laughed too, even though she had no idea why, until they had collapsed on the floor in side-splitting hilarity.

"Ahaha….ha…why…why are we…laughing?" Agura asked breathlessly.

"I think…I…" Vert trailed off, suddenly staring straight at her. "I…wow…"

"Wh-what?" Agura propped herself up, cocking her head.

"You look…sexy." Vert decided.

"What?" Agura shook her head. "N….no I don't…"

"Yes you doooo!" Vert slurred, scooting closer to her. "You're…you're so sexy."

"No…pffff…shush…" Agura brushed him off.

"You are…." He pleaded. "Here. I-I can prove it." He stood up. "Come on."

"Ughhhhhh…." She groaned at the thought of moving, but stood to follow him into his bedroom anyway.

"Here." Vert laid down on his bed, flopping his arms above his head and patting the spot next to him. Agura laid down as well, squirming around to get comfortable on the mattress.

"This is so much better than mine!" She whined. "Why do you get to be Sage's favorite?"

"I am not…" Vert giggled, swatting her hair.

"Are too…" She reminded him, nudging him with her hip. "But now you should tell me how I'm sexy." She pouted, rolling onto her side.

"Okay." Vert shrugged, then suddenly leaned over, reached his arms around her and unzipped her sweatshirt, carelessly throwing it behind him leaving only the tank top that was underneath.

"There." He said, pointing at her chest. "One, two."

"Two what?" She asked suspiciously, not sober enough to understand.

"Reasons." Vert grinned slyly. "I like them…." He murmured, pulling her a little closer.

"Stop…" She pouted, turning away from him.

"Noooo!" Vert cried, his view gone. Getting a better idea, he began sliding off her tank top straps, even going so far as to try pulling it over her head.

"Verrrtttttt…." Agura sighed, boredly trying to fight desiring hands.

"Mmm…." He groaned, finally getting it off and adding it to the pile behind him. "See?"

"Hmph…" Agura shrugged.

"Turn around?" Vert pleaded.

"Nuh-uh." She shook her head.

"Hmmm…" He murmured sneakily, weaving his hands around her torso and going for a little 'tour'.

"Oh…" At first, Agura was unsure of how to react, but…he certainly knew what he was doing…not to mention the liquor store's worth of alcohol in both their systems.

"Take yours off." She told him playfully.

"Will you turn around?" He asked cutely.

"Maybe." She replied, then flipped over as she heard his shirt land on the floor, taking in a sharp breath as she noted the perfectly sculpted muscles and abs.

"That's much better." He smiled, massaging her back and chest.

As for the rest of the night…

Agura felt so ashamed. She couldn't remember anything but useless bits and fragments. Even now she had no clue to how much they had shared, how far they had gone. Sometimes she still remembered his strong body, the warmth of his skin against hers, and the feelings of insane, lustful pleasure.

She woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth and a splitting headache. This part Agura remembered all too well; suddenly realizing that Vert was next to her, looking down to find both of them bare. Her heart jumping into her throat as she scavenged for her clothes, in panic throwing on one of his shirts as she prayed he wouldn't wake up. She didn't even have time to wonder what they'd done until she had landed safely in her room, feeling like she was about to be sick. Which, thanks to the alcohol, took care of itself.

She still had the T-shirt. Agura hadn't dared to return it. That day was spent with heads in the toilet for more than half of the team, and for a few days bedrooms were not left. Agura hadn't spoken to Vert about that night, and by the time their hangover was over…she just couldn't.

He probably still had her favorite green sweatshirt, whether he knew it or not.

She kept the shirt in the far back of her closet, tucked away in the corner, as if she could do the same to the memories.

_**Wait, why on Earth would you try to forget that?**_

_Whoregura, this...isn't a good time.  
_

Agura quietly pulled into the Hub, removing her shoes and trying to cross the floor as quietly as possible. It was nearly eleven, and hopefully-

"Agura, where _were_ you?" Vert demanded suddenly, making her yelp in surprise and drop the sneakers as he sprung out of the Saber.

"I-I told you, I had to run a few errands." She stammered out, yanking the shoes back on to hide her bare-

_**Told you we forgot socks.**_

-feet.

"For four hours? You know lights-out is at eleven! We were getting really worried." Vert folded his arms, but she could see concern behind his anger.

"Yeah, we almost went out looking for you!" Stanford called as the roof to the Reverb opened.

"Wait, I thought this was an ice cream run?" Spinner asked in confusion, sticking his head out of the Buster.

"…Sherm! You lied to me!"

"Well, you wouldn't have come along if I hadn't!" Sherman argued.

"Fair point." Spinner shrugged.

"Seriously, though, that couldn't have just been errands, and _please_ don't tell me you went clubbing." Stanford jokingly pleaded.

"I did not go 'clubbing,' Stanford." Agura rolled her eyes.

_**Wow, that response is almost as cool as our great-grandmother!**_

_Hey! I loved Nana!_

_**Exactly! 'Loved'! Past-tense! As in dead!**_

_Well, you can't get much colder than a corpse, and you did say 'cool'…_

…_**Shut up!**_

"Then where were you? Your com was off." Vert accused.

"Why does it matter? I'm fine, okay?" Agura said, desperately avoiding his queries.

"We were just worried, Agura; I don't see why you can't just tell us where you were!" Vert exclaimed. Everyone stood in silence for a moment, tension thickening as they awaited her reply.

"I…I was on a date." She finally admitted, staring down at her (now tied) shoes.

_**Come on, girl, you gotta own this!**_

"Pffff-I'm sorry, what?" Stanford bit his lip, as if holding back a grin.

_**OH, TRY HOLDING BACK MY FISTS, YOU SON OF A-**_

"I was on a date." Agura repeated, a little more firmly. "That a problem?" She challenged, taking a proud step towards Stanford, who shrugged back a little.

"No, no, o-of course not." Vert stepped forward, looking a strange combination of surprised and…well, something else. "Uh, wh…who with?" He asked casually.

"Just the new waiter at Zeke's." Agura tossed her hair a little, confidence growing.

_**Ooh, throwing in a 'just'! I'm so proud!**_

_Aw, look, Whoregura's praising another graduate from Slut Academy!_

_**Oh, go choke on your Bible.**_

"Oh. Th-that's cool." Vert nodded. "Well, look at the time, better get to bed, training tomorrow!" He announced quickly, heading for the hall.

"R-right…" Stanford nodded slowly, still in shock as he made for his bedroom. Spinner shook his head to clear it, following his teammate with Sherman. Agura lingered, shutting down the Tangler, pulling her hair back into her trademark bun, and finally heading for her bedroom, needing time to process the night.


	4. Vert's Side of the Story

**A/N: This chapter is very Vert-y. *SQUEE* So, not much Whoregura/Normal Agura (She needs a catchier name. Suggestions? Anyone?). I know, I miss them too. Oh, funny story, those of you who read 'Swimsuits and Stormshocks" (second time I've mentioned it in this story…I'm not an attention whore! I swear! XD) but anyway, I'm currently typing in the same hotel that inspired that story! SPRING BREAK B'YOTCH! XD And, it's also my year-iversary (year anniversary? Centennial?) On the site, so just kind of a legacy occasion. IDK. Thought I would share. XD**

**Note: THIS INVOLVES THE HUNGER GAMES! WOOP! Super psyched to see it! **

Vert POV:

I entered my room, still a little shocked as I pulled off the Shocksuit.

_Agura has a new boyfriend. _

_Well, maybe a boyfriend. She said she was just on a date…Oh, who are you kidding, Vert, of course it's a boyfriend!_

_I mean, it's no big deal. Good for her, right? _

_But…just who is this new waiter? I mean, if the best job he can get is Zeke's, he couldn't be that great, right?_

_You know, I shouldn't even care._ Vert shook his head, reaching into his closet for a pair of boxers_. Good for her. _His hand brushed against a piece of soft fabric, and he grasped the item, pulling it out.

Her sweatshirt.

***VERT'S FLASHBACK! SQUEE! (Still in his POV)***

Looking back, I could tell I was drunk. I'm pretty sure I knew that Spinner was the only one sober. But once Agura offered to go change the thermostat, I couldn't help but follow her. I don't remember everything I said, but I'm sure I sounded like an idiot. There was something about her that night, looking so incredibly sexy…I wanted her so bad. We got to my bedroom; something I'd been dreaming about since we first met. I remember talking, unzipping the sweatshirt, slipping off the tank top; touching and feeling that amazing body I so wanted to make mine.

I don't remember if I ever got to. After that, it's only bits and pieces, but one thing I do remember was talking. I know that I was topless, and as proud as I would be if she was I can't really remember, but I just remember lying there, holding her, and talking. About little things, about big things. About everything. I don't think even AJ knows so much about me.

If she remembers any of it. That's what scares me the most; all the what-ifs.

What if she had forgotten? I've never shared so much about myself in my life.

What if she didn't want it? What if it was just the alcohol?

Then there was the worst:

What if she didn't love me? I was head over heels for her, even more since that night. What if she felt nothing?

…I guess that with tonight we have the answer to that.

Vert, you were both drunk, she was never into you in the first place! If you wanted her, you should have made your move, and that's that. If it wasn't for that night, you wouldn't even care. Right? It was all just a huge mistake.

But, deep down, he knew there was a part of him that would never stop loving her.

And he was going to have to fight for her.

Normal POV:

"Morning guys!" AJ entered the kitchen cheerfully. "You all look tired." He commented to the assembled Vert, Spinner, Sherman, Zoom and Stanford.

"Yeah, well, you can talk to Agura about that one." Stanford grumbled.

"Speaking of which, where is Agura? I'm starving, and it's her day to make breakfast." AJ stated after checking the chore chart they kept posted on the fridge.

"I dunno; ask her new boyfriend." Zoom idly swirled his Cheerios around. AJ's eyes grew wide.

"Agura has a _boyfriend_?" He choked on his orange juice, shooting a wide-eyed stare at Vert.

"Well…" Spinner shrugged. "We're not sure. See, she was on a _date_ last night, which is typically translated to possessing a boyfriend, but this was the first case of such a date happening, therefore we have classified him as an experimental boyfriend."

"Thanks Doctor Phil." Stanford rolled his eyes.

"Just doing my job." Spinner nodded briskly.

"Morning guys." Agura yawned, entering the kitchen and checking the chart. "Am I on breakfast?"

"Uh, yep, u-huh." A simultaneous chorus of nods and illiterate mumbling replied as all the boys stared down at the table.

"I'm not saying I don't appreciate the quiet, but what's up with you guys today?" Agura cocked her head, pulling out a carton of eggs.

"Ask the lady who missed curfew and kept me up late looking for her." Stanford replied snidely. Agura rolled her eyes at him.

"You guys were up late?" AJ leaned in as if he hadn't heard the entire story minutes earlier.

"Yes, we had to form a search-and-rescue team for Miss Partygoer over there." Stanford huffed.

"Oh, cool your pantaloons, you didn't miss out on that much beauty sleep." Agura retorted. "Wait…" She leaned over the table to get a closer look on Stanford. "Never mind; you're still three hours too ugly." She smiled sweetly.

"I'd watch the remarks, _luv_, considering you're the rulebreaker here!" Stanford accused.

"And I'd watched the accusations, _luv_, before I decide to put cheese in your omelet!"

"HEY! You know I'm lactose intolerant!"

"That's the point."

"Trying to poison me now, eh? Another rule broken? Do tell us what's next for our daredevil Agura!"

"Why don't I take what comes next and shove it right up your-"

"Guys!" Vert stepped in between the two. "Stan, give it up. I'm in charge, and _I'll_ decide if Agura gets punished."

"Fine, but I'd like to heavily suggest chores for a month." Stanford sat back, folding his arms.

"And Agura, though I have to give you credit for that argument," Vert grinned softly, and she smiled back, "No more breaking curfew. Fair?"

"Fair." Agura nodded.

"Pff-WHAT? That's it? A lecture?" Stanford demanded. Agura laughed, rolling her eyes and getting back to work on breakfast.

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"Mmmm…Why can't you make breakfast everyday?" AJ asked Agura with puppy-dog eyes.

"Because then you would never take us out to eat when you were too lazy to cook." She laughed, taking his plate and placing it in the sink.

"Hey, that reminds me; lunch at Zeke's guys, my treat!" AJ announced, making those still left in the kitchen laugh. Agura shook her head, smiling, as the remaining team members dispersed.

"Need any help with the dishes?" Vert asked from behind, surprising her.

"Oh! Uhm, yeah, I guess so. Sure." She stammered. They were back to their pre-incident 'close friends' level, having slowly climbed up the ladder from 'awkwardly avoid at all costs,' but things still remained a tad…well, uncomfortable.

"I wash, you dry?" He offered. Agura crinkled her nose.

"You hate to wash. You always dry." She stated in confusion.

"Well, yeah, but I figured I owed you, and you don't like it either." Vert laughed, nudging her away from the sink with his hip. Agura eyed him suspiciously.

"Alright, Wheeler, what's your angle?" She joked, grabbing a dish towel.

Oh, he had an angle alright, and for that matter an entire plan, but Vert wanted to move more slowly.

"What, a guy can't even do simple favors anymore? Agura, I'm hurt!" Vert clasped a hand to his chest dramatically.

"Alright, alright!" She held her hands up in mock surrender, and they worked in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, isn't that 'Hunger Games' movie coming out tomorrow?" Vert began innocently.

"Yeah, March 23rd." Agura nodded. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, I saw one of the books by the Tangler once. I didn't know you were into them." He continued casually.

"Well, yeah. I mean, better than Twilight." She remarked.

"Oh, God, I could make alphabet soup and have better literature than that." Vert scoffed, making her laugh.

_Score_!

"But, hey, I figured, you know, since the movie was coming out and all, and you liked the book," _Quit beating around the bush, Vert_! "I thought you might want to go see the midnight premiere tonight?" He rushed the words out.

For a second, Agura was shocked.

_**Uhm, hello! THE WORD YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS YES!**_

*****A/N: Whoregura. And you thought I forgot about them. XD*****

For another second, she was panicked.

_ whatifthisisjustadare isheserious shouldIsayyes willIhurthisfeelingsifIsayno Idon' ohmyGodwhatdoIdo-_

_**SAY YES!**_

"Uhm-" Was all she could manage after the full three second panic. Vert was standing there, hands covered in soap and with blue eyes looking so hopeful and so _cute_ and-

"I don't think that's such a good idea." She blurted.

_**NO! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! REVERSE! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!**_

Vert's face fell. He felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. Agura bit her lip. She looked anxious.

"I-I mean, with Chace, a-and…" Agura was dying. Vert looked crestfallen. _What kind of person are you, to do that to someone? Why couldn't you have just said yes?_

"I just…" She trailed off.

Vert wasn't listening. He could barely even hear her.

"Y-yeah." He finally managed to swallow the giant ball of cotton he felt was stuck in his throat. "I get it. That's totally fine."

"A-are you sure? I mean, I' m really-"

"Nope, it's cool." He cut her off. "I-…ah-be right back." He nearly sprinted out of the kitchen.

He was so embarrassed.

No. He was so _stupid_. He should have _known_ she would say no! She had a boyfriend now!

All that time it had taken to repair the awkwardness of the incident….

And now they were back to Square One.


	5. Moping and Malling

*****A/N: Poor Vert. Why do I do these things to him?*****

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_**You know, I really hate ourself some days.**_

_I hate to admit it, but I'm with Whoregura._

_**I just can't even BELIEVE you turned him down! I mean, screw prostitution, I'd pay HIM to let me tap that!**_

_Whoregura!_

_**Don't even TRY to tell me you wouldn't.**_

_Okay, she has a point. But it probably was the right thing to do, considering...well, Chace..._

_**Yeah, can we say dating now? I mean, if you're turning down a prize like VERT, it's definitely a relationship.**_

_I dunno...I mean, it's only been one date..._

_**One's enough for me! I would LOVE to be able to put my mark on that cutie.**_

_Trust me, Whoregura, we knooooow._

_**Hey, that reminds me, I thought of a nickname for you.**_

_Do tell, we're all so eager to hear it. _

_**You know, I'm not sure if that's the correct use of the term 'we'... I mean, it's really just me and you in here, unless Agura still listens to u-**_

_Just tell me the nickname!_

_**Okay, fine! Yeesh, chill.**_

…

_**BOREGURA. **_

_**OHHHHH SNAPPPPP! Who's the clever personality now? **_

…_**Hello? **_

_**Boregura?**_

_**BOREGURA! COME ON! THAT WAS CLEVER!**_

_Honey, I'm a disembodied split personality, I can't just get up and walk awa-_

"Would you two _please_ keep it down?" Agura sighed. She needed all her mental capacity to sort through her feelings for Vert and Chace.

_**Well, honey, that's easy. Would you rather be Mrs. Agura Wheeler or Mrs. Agura…what's his last name again?**_

_Tasmain. Chace Tasmain._

_**Hmm…Mrs. Agura Tasmain? Well, you can always hyphenate-**_

_That is not how you pick a boyfriend, Whoregura!_

Let's see… Chace _was_ attractive beyond all known possibilities, not to MENTION the accent factor and those dark, mysterious eyes, the perfect, never-needed-braces smile, sun-kissed cheeks and tan, toned arms…

_Whoa, we just hit the deep end! Snap out of it, Agura!_

_**Nope, snap right back in!**_

Okay. More logical reasons.

He _had_ asked for her number, not to mention the courage to ask her on a date. He _was_ incredibly sweet, charming, a good listener,

_**an amazing piece of arm candy-**_

_Whoregura!_

_**I didn't think anyone would notice!**_

And then there was Vert.

Blonde, blue-eyed, America's-golden-boy Vert. Star quarterback of the Handler's High Cowboys and leader of the Battle Force 5. They had saved each other's lives countless times, not to mention long nights spent together planning training scenarios or battle maneuvers. She was his first lieutenant; his most trusted teammate.

But still, he was her leader…what would the team think of that? And the other citizens of Handler's, who thought he was her _boss_? Who _knows_ what rumors they could spread?

But holding back all those thoughts of scandal was Vert, standing there with that ridiculous piece of hair just hanging over his eyes. She had told him it looked like a goose hundreds of times, until finally he gave in, letting her try to slick it back, but the thing had just popped right back into, or rather out of, place. She had eventually grown to love it, that little quirk of his. And then there were his eyes…nothing like Chace's dark, sexy features, but a clear, intense blue, one that almost startled you if you weren't used to it. There was just something about them…so bright and honest that made you feel like you could see straight through to his soul.

Or even send them rolling back in ecstasy.

Yet another memory of that twisted, passionate night.

_Whoregura, quit bringing those up._

_**Sorry…**_

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_I'm such an idiot._

Vert sat glumly in his room, back against his bedframe with knees pulled to his chest, arms crossed over them and chin resting unhappily on his wrists.

_What even made you think you should just go and ask her out like that? The morning after she was on a freaking date with someone else?_

"God, what is _wrong_ with me?" He groaned, shaking his head at his stupidity.

He was an idiot.

Possibly a complete moron, but certainly an idiot.

There were so many things that could have gone wrong! He had hardly thought it through, much less come up with a battle plan!

_Why can't relationships be more like leading a team?_

Being the leader of the Battle Force 5 was obviously not an easy job, but it was one he enjoyed and could really put his heart into. It had been considerably easier before he had discovered his feelings for Agura, much easier before their accidental one-night-something-or-other and _certainly_ easier twenty-four hours ago!

_This **really** sucks._

How are you supposed to fix something like that?

Well, maybe he could-

"Vert!" Suddenly, Stanford was banging on his door. "Vert!"

"What, Stanford?" He called tiredly, not moving from the floor.

"Grace just texted me! She's celebrating her twenty-first birthday tomorrow night at the diner and she wants us to come!" Stanford exclaimed from the other side of the steel.

"That's great, Stan." Vert sighed.

"No, it's horrible!" Stanford argued. "I only have one day to find the perfect present to win her over!"

"Okay, well, good luck." Vert replied listlessly.

"Vert, come on! You went to high school with her; I'm sure you'd be able to help me-"

Vert angrily stood up, throwing the door open and stopping Stanford mid-sentence.

"Look, I'd love to help you with your own little problems, but I'm kind of dealing with my own right now, and I'd more than appreciate a little peace and quiet!" He snapped. He was just so _sick_ of everything: the whiny Brit, this feeling of rejection, that God-damn _waiter_-

…

"Wait, the party's at the diner?" He asked, suddenly a little more interested.

"Well, not that it matters anyway, since apparently you'll be too busy dealing with your own little problems, but yes." Stanford folded his arms, still a little miffed at the outburst.

"Okay, sorry about that." Vert apologized.

"I should hope so; an invite like this doesn't come along every day you know!" Stanford huffed, stomping away. Vert rolled his eyes; Stanford would be over himself in no time, considering how badly he needed his leader's help with that present.

Stanford, however, was convinced to hold his grudge more than the usual fifteen minutes, and sought out Agura's help instead.

"Hey," He began, walking into the kitchen where the team was gathered, "Did anyone-

"Grace's party, yeah, we know." Spinner waved his phone. "Grace texted everyone." His statement was confirmed by all others assembled displaying their phones as well.

"Alright, yes, but-" Stanford's indignance at not being the first person to hear the news was downsized somewhat as he noticed for the first time the enormous mess on the counter.

"What's going on?" He asked cautiously, peering over the stack of bowls, cake mixes and flour to find Zoom.

"Oh, well, uh," Zoom stammered, turning a little red, when Agura entered the kitchen.

"What exploded in here?" She exclaimed in shock. Zoom peeked out guiltily from behind the stacks.

"Oh, hey, Agura…." He began casually, grabbing a bowl that was about to tip and steadying it. "How's it going?"

"Zoom, what are you _doing_?" She demanded. "Look at this mess!"

"Sorry! I was trying to make a cake for Grace's party-"

"WHICH REMINDS ME," Stanford cut Zoom off, "I could really use your help with-"

"See, I was trying to make this cake for her-" Zoom stepped back in,

"Finding the perfect present for Grace-" Stanford glared at Zoom,

"Because I want to give her a really great gift-" Zoom glared right back,

"So that she'll go out with me!" They both finished together, glowering at one another. Agura sighed, facepalming.

"Okay, uhm…" She bit her lip, trying to decide the best way to be fair. "When's the party again?"

"Tomorrow." Both replied together, still shooting dirty looks.

"Alright, Zoom, you clean up the kitchen while I take Stanford shopping, and when I get back I'll help you with her cake." Agura decided. "Come on, Stan, let's move!"

It only took two quick arguments and one snappy remark about the scent of Stanford's interior to get them on the road; practically a new record.

Until the squabbling continued through their com-links, of course.

_**Sigh.**_

_Oh, goody, we're here!_

_**Oh, goody, now we can buy you that pair of Twinkle-Toes you wanted!**_

_Aw, shut up._

_**What's this? Actual SASS from Boregura? Are you feeling alright?**_

_Look, I just want to enjoy my shopping trip!_

_**Oh, that's right, I forgot out period's due next week…**_

_SHUT UP!_

"So, what exactly do you want to get her?" Agura asked Stanford as they entered the mall.

"Oh, well, you know, I'm sure there's plenty of things I _could_ get her, you see, really, just so many options, I mean, I have plenty of ideas, of course, I just can't seem to pick just one idea, you know, out of the many fabulous ideas I have-"

"You have no idea what to get her, do you?" Agura raised an eyebrow.

"No clue." Stanford replied instantly. "That's why I need your help! You're a girl!"

"No one ever acts like it." Agura muttered under her breath. Stanford gave her a sideways look, and she quickly recovered. "Right, well, what about a necklace or something?"

"A _necklace_?" Stanford shrieked. "I can't just get her a necklace! Anyone can buy a necklace! This has to be _special_!" He emphasized.

*****A/N: …Stanford…you're such a girl…*****

"Okay, well, let's just go into a department store, look around, and maybe you'll have a moment of inspiration." Agura rolled her eyes. This was already starting to become a headache-inducer.

"Okay…hmm….What about makeup?" Stanford asked upon seeing the glowing display cases. "Girls love makeup!"

"Well, sure, if you want to suggest that she needs it." Agura pointed out.

"Hmm. True. Okay, what about…what about a Snuggie?" Stanford suggested.

"Where did you even _see_ one of those?" Agura sighed as the meandered through the aisles. "And why would she want a blanket with sleeves?"

"Who _doesn't _want a blanket with sleeves?" Stanford scoffed. "Okay, what about…" He took a look around the kitchenware aisle they were currently walking down. "What about a cookbook?" He asked.

"Sure, why don't you just _ask_ her to make you a sandwich?" Agura rolled her eyes. "Oh, and I know that the lingerie section is coming up next, but don't even _think _about it."

"Fine." Stanford crossed his arms. "Then what should I get her? You're proving to be awfully unhelpful, y'know."

"Okay, let's look in the clothing department, then." Agura suggested brightly, trying to keep herself from snapping.

"How am I supposed to know her size? I don't want to get something too big; she'll think that I think that she thinks she's fat!" Stanford whined.

"She's size two, Stan, haven't you ever seen the tag 'accidentally' sticking out of her shirt?" Agura rolled her eyes, flipping through a rack of blouses.

_**Ah yeah, we know your game, Grace!**_

_I'm sure it's just an accident…_

_**Accident, smaccident; that girl's playing a game and the guys in town are the baseballs.**_

_What if the game is soccer?_

_***Sigh* Can we just assume, for the time being, that the sport is baseball?**_

_I'm just saying, there are a lot of diverse sports to choose fro-_

_**IT'S BASEBALL!**_

_Okay!_

"Oh, _that's_ what the two means!" Stanford murmured as it dawned on him. "What, what size are you then?" He asked, innocently enough, but striking a nerve all the same.

"Nunya." Agura replied nonchalantly from a perfume display.

"Nunya what?" Stanford furrowed his eyebrows.

"Nunya business." Agura replied coolly. "And heads up, most girls will rip your head off if you try to ask them that."

"Hmm. Good tip." Stanford nodded thoughtfully.

"Yup." Agura replied, throwing him a bottle of perfume. "Here, girls love perfume."

"Hmm…" Stanford sniffed it. "Augh! What _is_ that?" He checked the label. "'Just Peachy'? That's disgusting!"

"Okay, well, try another one." Agura offered, swapping bottles with him.

"I dunno, can't I just buy her a skirt?" Stanford groaned, smelling the perfume and making a face. "These are terrible!"

"Bath and Body Works is right across the mall." Agura pointed out.

"Walking." Stanford made another face (there seemed to be no end to his supply). "Here, how about you try all these skirts on," He gestured to a display behind him, "And I'll decide which one I want to buy for Grace!"

Agura sighed. Clearly, this was going nowhere, _fast_.

"Okay, but maybe you should just get her a gift card-"

"No! This has to come from the _heart_!" Stanford emphasized, shooing her into a dressing room. "Here, take these-" He dropped an enormous pile of clothing onto the bench, "Try them on and then show me, so I can see which ones I like."

"I'm not your personal _model_, Stanford." Agura rolled her eyes.

"Please! Just this once! I'll buy you anything you want!" Stanford pleaded, then quickly reconsidered his offer. "Anything within a reasonable price range! Like…." He quickly checked the price tag on one of the skirts he had grabbed. "This! Please, Agura? I need your help…" He pouted, giving her what he thought was puppy-dog eyes.

_**What the heck is he doing with his face?**_

_I think puppy-dog eyes…Not sure…_

_**It looks like the puppy dog got run over by a car!**_

"Okay, okay, I'll try them on." Agura took the pile, deciding resistance was futile. "But you owe me."

"Fair, fair, now go!" Stanford shooed. A few minutes later, Agura emerged from the dressing room, wearing the skirt Stanford had picked out but grimacing nonetheless.

"Hm. Too long. Next!" Stanford decided, and this went on for a few more outfits.

"Too blue. Next!"

"Too grandma-ish. Next!"

"Whoa! Yikes, too hippie! Next!"

"Uhm…Too short. Nex-"

"Wait, there's actually such a thing as 'too short' for guys?" Agura faked surprise. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Just keep modeling!" Stanford waved her back into the dressing room.

"Okay, okay." Agura held her hands up in surrender, taking the next skirt off of its hanger and pulling it on. "Uhm, Stan? I think this one's kinda small…"

"That's the style, just pull!" Stanford called from outside.

"Whatever." Agura shrugged, yanking up the tight material and stepping out.

Stanford's jaw dropped.

"What?" Agura panicked, looking down to make sure she hadn't pulled the skirt up _too _far.

"Dang." He muttered under his breath, still staring.

Agura groaned. "Ugh, see, I knew this was a bad idea, I'll just take it off-"

"_Don't_ take it off." Stanford was actually gaping at her. _Gaping!_

"Why not?" Agura sighed, turning around to face herself in the mirror and-

_**DAYUM. **_

_I can't believe I actually agree with you on something._

Now Agura could see why Stanford was staring. The skirt was black, high-waisted and tighter than her Shocksuit. It came down to her mid-thigh, a lot shorter than Agura preferred but for some reason she didn't mind, and displayed every feature she usually kept covered up, and _especially_ the ones most boys liked to see.

Long legs. Curvy hips. Tiny waist.

_**Hey, let's not forget DAT BOOTY.**_

_Hey, who's personality are you, ours or Stanford's?_

_**Ugh, is he STILL staring? TAKE A PICTURE, BUD, IT'LL LAST LONGER!**_

"Agura…you have to buy that." Stanford managed to tear his eyes away long enough to form a comprehensible sentence.

"I dunno-"

"No, you _have_ to buy that. That new boyfriend of yours? He'll _love_ it. You'll steal the show at that party." Stanford spoke with dead seriousness.

"Oh, my God." A perky-looking salesgirl who had been walking by the dressing rooms stopped in her tracks. "Girlfriend, I'm not just saying this because I work here. You have to buy that."

"See?" Stanford grinned smugly. "Thank you, uhm…" He peeked at the redhead's nametag. "Jessica."

"You're welcome. Y'know, it is so nice to see you helping her out! I wish I had a gay friend like that." Jessica sighed, gathering a pile of clothing from a rack and walking out. Stanford's jaw dropped in offense.

"I-…and you…gay friend…how dare she?" He sputtered with rage while Agura laughed.

"Come on, let's just find you something to get Grace."

"Whoa whoa whoa! We have to find you a shirt to wear with that first." Stanford stopped her.

"Stan, I really-"

"Agura, not only am I buying that for you, one part because you're helping me and two parts because you look like a stone cold _fox_-"

Agura had to giggle at that; a ridiculous compliment she didn't get very often from Stanford was still a compliment!

"But it's a very particular style; you can't just wear whatever! I'm talking shoes, crop top, bangles and-" Stanford paused, groaning. "Oh my God; I am your gay friend."

Agura collapsed on the carpet in a heap of laughter.

*****A/N: All credit for Boregura goes to Fenrir's Daughter! Thanks FD!*****


	6. Party Prep

**A/N: This was going to be the party, but then I got carried away, so now the party is in the next chapter. XDD AWKWARD AUTHOR NOTE! **

**LAWLZ AJ at the end.**

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After nearly two hours, they left the store with the skirt, a set of silver bangles, a loose, tribal-printed shirt, and a pair of (very small, very sensible) heels, and the necklace Stanford had picked out for Grace.

"So, what's this new boyfriend of yours like?" Stanford asked with a devilish look on his face as they left the mall.

"Stanford, please, he's not my boyfriend." Agura shook her head, hiding a blush.

_**Uhm, yet!**_

"Rightttttt…" Stanford winked as they approached their vehicles and changing the subject. "But, man, you should have seen Vert's face when you weren't in the Hub by curfew! The man near went into cardiac arrest!"

"Really?" Agura brightened. _That was sweet…_

"Aha! I knew it!" Stanford exclaimed gleefully.

"What?" Agura panicked.

"You and Vert have a thing! I knew it! AJ owes me twenty bucks." Stanford folded his arms, satisfied.

"Stanford, Vert and I do not have a thing." Agura rolled her eyes, hoping it was convincing enough.

_**Girl, I love you, but we need to enroll in some lying lessons, ASAP.**_

"Rightttttt…" Stanford waggled his eyebrows comically.

"I'm serious!" Agura swatted him with a bag, laughing.

"Oh, please. The private com channel? Late-night rendezvous over 'battle strategies'? And let's not forget the endless heroics."

"What are you talking about?" Agura narrowed her eyes, a futile attempt considering they were now in their vehicles and couldn't see each other, but it felt like the right expression to make nonetheless.

"You're joking! Remember the time the SmashClaw to struck by lightning and you lot came flying out of the portal? Whose name did he scream first? Spinner's? I don't think so." Stanford chided. "He couldn't have been more obvious about it than that!"

"Please, we all know no one cares about Spinner." Agura laughed it off.

"That's not the point. I mean, the level of concern he shows for you? It's insane. I can't believe you haven't noticed it!"

"What are you trying to say?" Agura leaned closer to the com.

"Well, for one thing, I am fully convinced that there is more going on there than just teammate-ship, and for another…" Stanford trailed off for a second.

"Well?" Agura asked irritably.

_**What is he playing, matchmaker?**_

"I think you should give him a chance." Stanford stated.

_**Oh, thank you, Stanford, because we so need ANOTHER opinion going on inside this head! God, FML!**_

"Stanford…" Agura groaned.

"Okay, Agura, I know we don't exactly talk about this stuff, but I think of you as a sister and Vert's one of my best friends, so please just hear me out." He began quickly. "Vert is head over heels for you. And to sound again like your gay friend, he's such a great guy. I know you like this Chace person, and I haven't met him yet, but I _know_ Vert is right for you." Stanford said with all seriousness.

For a moment, Agura was shocked, but then…

Call it the Whoregura in her, but she was, all of a sudden and without explanation,

REALLY. PISSED. OFF.

"Stanford! This is complicated enough, okay? The last thing I need is another opinion, so thanks for your help but this really isn't a good time." Agura sighed, and switched off her com-link. Granted, she felt terrible; Stanford was only trying to help, but she just couldn't handle it right now.

_**But he did buy us a pretty hot outfit…**_

_And he _was_ only trying to help…_

_**Let's not forget calling us a stone-cold fox.**_

"UGHHH!"

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Agura and Stanford pulled into the Hub.

_Crap._ He had her bags in his car.

_OMG OMG OMG WHAT DO WE DO HE'S PROBABLY SUPER MAD OMG-_

_**Chill your grill, Boregura.**_

Fortunately, Stanford took care of the problem.

"Here." He brusquely held out the bags.

"Okay, Stanford, I'm sorry, it's just that I already have two _other_ personalities telling me what to do and I really can't handle a thir-"

"Agura!" Stanford stopped her, chuckling. "Calm down! I was just kidding." He handed her the shopping bag.

"Oh." Agura let out a weak chuckle. "Right."

"Okay, are you feeling alright? You've seem stressed ever since you missed curfew last night." Stanford narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you should lie down."

"No, I'm fine. Really." Agura tried to assure him.

"Are you sure? Because, if you did choose to take a rest, I'm _sure_ Zoom would make a fine cake on his own…" Stanford hinted.

"Stanford!" Agura laughed. "I'm helping both of you; it's only fair."

"Come on! I bought you an outfit!" Stanford pleaded.

"Noooo, I promised Zoom I would help him…" Agura shook her head, a smile playing on her lips.

"Not if I stop you first!" Stanford pretended to lunge at her. Agura screamed, throwing her bags in the air and sprinting to the other side of the Hub. Stanford chased after her, cackling madly.

"Never!" Agura laughed, darting around cars. "Sherman! Help!" She yelled to the upper level, guessing that he was her best bet (considering Spinner, Zoom, and AJ wouldn't leave the TV, Tezz wouldn't leave the lab, and Vert…probably hated her).

_**Ooh. Harsh but true.**_

"Uhm, you okay Agura?" Sherman came out from the bedroom wing.

_**Good ol' Sherman.**_

"SHE'S FINE!" Stanford yelled.

"Sherman, block Stanford!" Agura shouted over him.

"Okay." Sherman shrugged, easily grabbing Stanford's wrist and holding him back.

"Thank you." Agura grinned, grabbing her bags and hurrying upstairs.

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"Good, you're back." Zoom jumped up the second Agura walked in the door. "Well, won't need those!" He grabbed the bags from her hands and flung them aside. "Come on, I turned the oven on and everything!" He was practically bouncing around the kitchen as he waited for her aid.

"Zoom, pick those up." Agura folded her arms, looking down at the bags he had tossed aside on the floor.

"But I-"

"Pick. Them up." Agura raised an eyebrow. Zoom shrunk under her glare, meekly stooping to pick the bags up and set them gently down on a chair.

Agura smiled to herself. She had this house locked down better than the Louvre.

"Good." Agura nodded. "Now, do you want to make her a cake, or what?"

"Uhm….she likes chocolate?" Zoom looked to her hopefully.

"Okay, chocolate cake?" Agura guided him along.

"Well I don't know! I was kinda hoping you would have this figured out by now!" Zoom exclaimed.

"Sweet, so, I guess I'll just make her your present then?" Agura put a hand on her hip.

"Yes! That'd be awesome!" Zoom brightened.

"Zoom!" Agura rolled her eyes.

"Come onnnnnn!" Zoom whined.

"Okay, so, you're gonna do this by yourself then?" Agura hinted.

"No! Ugh! Fine." Zoom groaned.

_**That's what I thought.**_

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"Mmmm, what smells so good?" Spinner followed his nose into the kitchen. Zoom immediately pounced at him from behind, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind his back.

"NO TOUCHIE MY CAKE!"

"Ow! Okay! Okay! I won't! Owww….Let go, dude!" Spinner whined, shaking himself free.

"Oooh! Cake!" AJ came into the kitchen and pressed his nose up against the oven.

"Hey!" Zoom left Spinner and grabbed AJ's wrist, dragging him away. "No touchie my cake!"

"Whoa! Zoom, did you make this?" Sherman entered next, pulling the oven open.

"No. Touchie. My. Cake!" Zoom hissed, springing at him.

"Zoom, chill." Agura rolled her eyes, rolling up a napkin from the table and bouncing it off his head.

"Just keep them off my cake!" Zoom pleaded.

"Zoom, don't be ridiculous, we both know I made it, and if anyone touches it, he's dead." Agura announced.

Spinner, AJ and Sherman raised their arms in the air, criminal-style and slowly retreated from the kitchen.

Zoom gaped open-mouthed.

"Not." He folded his arms. "Fair."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Vert sighed. He could hear the kitchen banter from his room. Even listening to her joke around with the other guys made him upset.

At least there was Grace's party tomorrow. Maybe that would cheer him up.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The next day, Stanford and Zoom were practically tearing at each other's throats with the rising anticipation of the party. Sherman, Tezz, Zoom and AJ were relaxing on the couch, while Stanford ran hurriedly between the Hub's mirrors. Vert had yet to emerge from his room, and Agura was still deciding whether or not to return the skirt while she still had a chance.

_You know, maybe we should just return it._

_**No way in heck. You are wearing that skirt, going to that party, and seducing either Vert or Chace, depending on who the better dancer is.**_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"T-minus ten minutes! Sherman, does my hair look okay?" Stanford asked nervously.

"Yup, just like it did five minutes ago." Sherman replied boredly from his spot on the couch.

"You look _fabulous,_ darling." Spinner commented, tapping idly on his iPad.

"Your hair sucks." Zoom remarked, looking up at him cheekily.

"Coming from a male in a headband? Thanks for the tip." Stanford said snidely.

"Hey, uhm, Stanford?" Agura's voice was heard from the door. "Are you sure I'm wearing this right?" She asked nervously, putting a hand on her hip.

Stanford stood up to check. The other guys turned their heads….and dropped their mouths.

_I think we're wearing it right…_

**Please, when do I wear anything wrong?**

"Agura…wow." Zoom murmured, still staring.

Sherman turned bright red. "Y-You're wearing it right."

Tezz shrugged, turning back around to finish scribbling on a set of blueprints.

Spinner simply stared, open-mouthed.

AJ by far gave the best reaction.

"Dayum, girl!" He jumped out of his seat, standing up to hip-bump her. "When did you pop open that can of sexy?"

Agura's cheeks went bright red.

"AJ! Please…" She giggled, scooting away from him.

"Agura, I am serious, that outfit is bangin'." AJ nodded.

"AJ, please, hands off." Stanford pushed him aside. "Alright, just, tuck this a little tighter, yank this up a little bit, and…Oh, your boob is showing."

"_What?_" Agura hissed, stepping away from him.

"Relax, Agura, it is simply a term for the clasp on your necklace." Tezz called from the couch. Everyone whipped their heads around at him. Tezz showed no signs of being affected.

"Oh. Uhm…thanks Tezz." Agura replied awkwardly, fixing the necklace.

"Oh-kay….Well, anyway, you look great-"

"Fine as he-" AJ cut off Stanford.

"Fabulous!"

"Thanks, guys…" Agura blushed. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Yup, I have my present wrapped and everything." Zoom said proudly, showing her the skillfully wrapped rectangle. "Only took me four tries! Oh, we're out of tape, by the way…"

"You sneaky little rat! No wonder I couldn't find any!" Stanford accused.

"You snooze, you lose, Stanny." Zoom folded his arms, leaning back in satisfaction.

"Why, you…" Stanford growled, lunging at the biker. In a very un-warrior-like fashion, Zoom shrieked, scrambling to get away from him, but not before-

_RIPPPPPP!_

_**Ooh, and Zoom's wrapping paper bites the dust!**_

In his hand, Stanford held a huge shred of paper decorated with colorful balloons. Zoom glared at him with murder in his eyes.

"I'm gonna freaking KILL YOU, STANFORD!" He shouted, throwing his (now unwrapped) present aside and lunging for the Brit.

_**God. Children**_.

"Uh, guys?" AJ looked up. "Guys?"

"HEY!" Agura barked sharply, causing them both to freeze. "Stanford, on the couch, _now_. Zoom, grab your present, we'll re-wrap it."

"Fine." Stanford pouted, plunking down on the sofa. "But hurry! I have to be there early to DJ-"

"Stormshock in T-minus 3.4 minutes!"

_**Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…**_


	7. BattleZoned

**No A/N except for that I got so caught up in the party scene I forgot to write about the BattleZone! XD The good news is, the next chapter will be up in no time at all!**

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"A StormShock? Are you serious?" Stanford shrieked. "I'm supposed to go and set up the DJ booth!"

"Relax, Stan, we'll send Tezz in for you." Vert appeared in the door, and Agura involuntarily winced at the sound of his voice. He sounded…fine. Cheerful, even.

_**WTF? I thought we broke his heart!**_

_Hopefully this mission won't be awkward…_

_**Boregura, EVERYTHING is awkward now!**_

"Come on, team, let's move out!" Vert announced, leading the mad dash to their vehicles in order to catch the Stormshock. He was pulling back the windshield of the Saber when he noticed Agura.

_Come on, Vert, you've kept a blank face so far…_He thought to himself, but nonchalance was impossible at the sight of her outfit.

It was short, it was skintight, and it was sexy as _hell_. He had never seen Agura dressed like _that_! A Shocksuit was once thing, but a _skirt?_ Not to mention this one; a tight, black ensemble that clung in all the right places. He had always known Agura was curvy, but this had him staring, jaw dropped.

"Dude. Cap it or tap it." AJ muttered, putting a hand on his shoulder and using their code for "Either make a move or close your mouth". Vert blushed, looking down just in case. Knowing he had been caught staring was embarrassing enough, but at least it had only been AJ.

"Thanks." He tried to laugh it off, but was still watching those long, delicious legs swing into the seat of the Tangler.

"Man, you are whipped!" AJ cackled, ducking just in time to avoid a harsh elbow in the side. "But dang, right? I mean, who knew?"

"AJ, shove off." Vert rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying, you better make a move before that party tonight, because I guarantee someone there will." AJ pointed out, and Vert ground his teeth.

"Someone already did, okay?" He growled, jumping into the Saber and speeding away before AJ could even reply.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Okay, guys, I know we have Grace's party to go to, so let's make this fast." Vert announced to his team. The Zone seemed desolate in terms of enemy activity, but the geographical features were plentiful; with lush, thick jungle foliage and massive trees.

_Everywhere._

_**This place makes the Amazon look like a kiddy park!**_

"I can't even see three feet into this greenhouse!" Spinner observed.

"Gonna be tough for Tezz and Zoom to maneuver." Vert assessed their surroundings. "Alright, Cortez bros, set the Buster to 'flatten'. Agura can ATV it and I'll saw through." Sherman gave him a thumbs up, pressing the gas on the Buster. The huge vehicle crawled forward, creeping slowly through the dense brush and finally grinding to a halt.

"Sorry, Vert." Sherman shrugged. "It's just too thick." Vert sighed.

"That's fine; guys, Agura and I will take this one. You guys hang here until we get back." He decided. "Agura, lead the way."

"You got it, Vert." Agura replied, trying to sound as cool and controlled as him. "I'll see if I can get a fix on the Key's coordinates."

"Good idea." Vert replied, remote and professional.

_Why can't we just go back to the way things were?_

_**Uhm, because you dumped him?**_

_Shut up._

Agura held back several times from opening her mouth and asking him if he was okay.

_He sounds okay, right? Maybe we should just let it be. This jungle is certainly more than enough to keep us both busy._

And that it was. The thick foliage had her gripping the Tangler's joysticks tightly, requiring every ounce of her skill just to drive through the dense plants. Vert's approach of using the chainsaw mounted on the Saber's hood to buzz a path through was a little simpler, but Agura couldn't bring herself to destroy the natural greenery, and chose to lumber along on the four-wheeler instead. She was just contemplating the strange absence of wildlife in such a nature-themed BattleZone when her monitor beeped.

"I've got the coordinates." Agura announced, a little too loudly in an attempt to break their chain of silence. "I'll send them to you."

"Great." Vert murmured distantly, as if two years of close friendship had simply dissolved, and now they were simply colleagues who knew nothing but each other's names. It was awkward, it was uncomfortable, and it hurt to think they had wrecked their relationship like that.

"I can't do this…" Agura accidentally murmured aloud.

"What's that, Agura?" Vert asked nonchalantly, not even turning to look at her.

Agura sighed.

"Nothing."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The coordinates on Agura's screen had shown the Key to be roughly twenty minutes away. After eighteen horrendously awkward for both of them minutes of maneuvering through the forest in silence, Agura's screen beeped, startling her out of the greenery-fueled trance. It beeped twice, then three times, and then suddenly began blaring nonstop. Agura looked down in confusion; her radar was going haywire, showing multiple dots converging onto her from all directions, yet she strangely saw nothing outside of the car.

"Vert?" Agura began quietly. "My radar's on the fritz."

"What do you mean?" Vert narrowed his eyes in thought, and Agura balked at the first sign of emotion he had shown on the mission.

"Multiple life forms from all directions, closing in fast." She stated worriedly. "I can't seem to detect anything outside though."

"Maybe it's a glitch." Vert suggested. Agura almost snorted at this; the Tangler did _not_ glitch.

"Maybe." She rolled her eyes behind the windshield. _Why can't he just engage in the freaking conversation?_

"But if not-" Agura's sentence was cut off short by the roar of a huge creature lunging out of the undergrowth.

"Holy _crap_!" She exclaimed without thinking, instinctively yanking back the Tangler's front wheels just in time to avoid the beast. "Vert?"

"What are these things?" He yelled back by way of response. Two more had sprung from the forest and were leaping and clawing at their cars. The things were monstrosities; larger than the Chopper and with massive heads as tall as Agura's shoulders. She could tell immediately by their forms and coiled muscles that they were big cats; closest in physicality to tigers if she had to guess, but these things were much more threatening. Their coats were mottled brown -camouflage to disguise them in the dense forest, Agura noted- and they had two deadly fangs protruding from huge jaws.

"Some sort of big cat!" Agura shouted over the growling beasts.

"No kidding, Sherlock!" Vert teased, and Agura whipped around to give him a glare. He smiled at her charmingly, and the gaze melted away as she realized that they were having a real, natural conversation.

"Hey! I see the Key!" Vert exclaimed, spotting it levitating above the trees. "Gotcha!" He announced with satisfaction as he mag-levved it to his car.

"Nice!" Agura cheered, swerving and dodging the creatures, which hadn't tired and continued jumping at their vehicles. "Where did all these come from?"

"I don't know!" Vert yelled back as more of the beasts joined the fray. "Agura, there's too many of them! We've gotta get out of here!"

"But how? There's no way!" Agura exclaimed.

"We've got to do something before these things eat us for lunch!" Vert replied anxiously. One of the animals near him pounced, dropping onto the hood of the Saber and digging its claws into the windshield.

"Vert!" Agura exclaimed. She responded immediately, swinging with the Tangler's left tire and smacking the beast off of his car.

"Thanks." Vert breathed a sigh of relief.

"You got it." Agura grunted as another creature jumped at her. She swung at it, but the thing avoided the massive tire, leaping for the undercarriage of the car instead. Agura gasped as claws were dug into the metal below her feet and it was ripped off, her seat dropping to the ground like a stone amidst all the chaos.

"_AGURA!_" Vert cried in panic. He crushed the gas pedal to the floor; driving straight for her and sliding open his cockpit. Agura was already fending off the animals when the Saber's blades slashed through the fray, passing within inches of her as Vert skillfully reached out and in one fluid movement grabbed Agura by the waist, swept her off of her feet, and swung her into his lap, closing the Saber's hood and speeding away before the beasts could do anything about it.

(Vert) _Oh my God she is in my lap. In that skirt. Shocksuit, do NOT fail me now._

"Y-you okay?" He stammered out, trying to focus on _anything_ but the fact that she was literally on top of him. _Hey, look at that tree! Look at that bush! Another tree! WOW! NATURE!_

"Y-yeah. I-I'm fine." Agura managed, biting her lip as if she could hold back awkwardness, because this was a WHOLE new level of it.

"Oh, you're bleeding." Vert murmured, tenderly brushing his thumb across a wound on her cheek.

"I'm fine." Agura replied quickly.

"No, you're not." Vert said more firmly. "I think I have a first aid kit in here somewhere…" He rummaged around behind him with his free hand, squirming a little underneath her, and Agura suddenly began feeling very hot.

_But it's not even warm in h-_

_**NOT THAT KIND OF HOT, BOREGURA!**_

The way he was moving…No one had ever make her feel like that before….

Except for him. That night. And now that longing for contact was coming back.

"W-why don't you just pull over?" Agura suggested timidly.

"Good idea." Vert responded quickly. All that hip movement was _not_ doing him any favors. He parked rapidly and Agura almost immediately jumped out of the car. The cheek wound was small, but it would still require medical attention. Vert quickly grabbed his first aid kit, pulling out an antibacterial swab and gauze. Agura reached for the supplies, but Vert shook his head.

"Sit." He gestured.

"Vert, I can-"

"Sit." He said more firmly, raising an eyebrow as if daring her to challenge him. Agura sighed, collapsing dramatically onto the lush grass.

"Thank you, kind sir; I simply _can't_ do a thing for myself!" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically in an effort to relieve the tension.

"I know you can do it yourself. I just like to sometimes." Vert responded simply. Agura was surprised by his statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She tilted her head.

"It means that I know you're independent and I recognize that." Vert replied, gently brushing gauze along the gash. "I just like to know I can still take care of you. We _are_ a team."

"Th-thank you." Agura was pleasantly surprised. She leaned back against a tree and let him tend to her. As Vert finished, he pulled slowly back to survey his work, but her eyes captured him instead. Agura was watching him intently, eyes dazzling and warm, shining brightly with the reflection of golden sun as they met his. Vert inhaled sharply in surprise. She was enthralling. The woods around them went still. Sunlight glimmered, filtering through the treetops and igniting golden specks of debris in the air. It was magical. Agura held his gaze, her eyes longing for him. Vert suddenly felt the overpowering, passionate urge to kiss her, to touch her beautiful self and just lie there, to be there with her and forget everything. At that moment he wanted her more than anything in the world…but it was wrong. It felt so incredibly right, but he knew he could never force her to be unfaithful. And so Vert blinked, and forced himself to pull away.

"We should get back."

Agura was saddened. Sad that Vert had rejected her yet somehow happy they hadn't repeated that night. Guilty that she had nearly cheated on Chace but somehow still longing for Vert's touch. Confused by the whirlwind of emotions even though at that moment, so close to him, everything had made sense.

"Y-yeah." She nodded sadly. "I guess we should."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Hey, there you guys are!" Zoom exclaimed as the Saber and Tangler (which they had retrieved on the way back) pulled into the clearing they had originally started in. "Got the Key?"

"Yep." Vert nodded, taking a side-glance at Agura to see what she was feeling. He was disappointed to see her looking nearly devoid of all emotion.

"Nice!" Zoom nodded.

"Yes, now let's get out of here. This planet is starting to remind me of Vandal." Tezz said boredly, and Vert opened the portal. He waited silently for his teammates to go through, and finally, with one last glance at the jungle he had come so close in, followed.


	8. Dancing 'til the World Ends

**A/N: YAY FOR SONGS! (These are kind of old ones, though. If the song fits…) Lyrics will be in asterisk/italic form, to avoid confusion with Boregura/Whoregura lines. Example?**

***_Lyric lyric lyric* _**

**XD And, well, I don't own any songs….If I need to say that. JUST KIDDING, I AM LADY GAGA. **

***jams out in meat dress* **

**This just got way too long, so unfortunately, it's split up, (not gonna lie it's still pretty long). This is more introductory, but there is PLENTY of drama to come! The next half is close to done and will be posted more quickly with reviews! XD Kidding. Kind of. Do share opinions! I have a Vergura oneshot in the works, too that might be a sequel, might be independent. We'll see. **

**WARNINGS: Some drinking (it's a party, guys, come on; assume everyone is of legal age! XD), and some dirty dancing…OW-OOOWW! **

**(Another) WARNING: A huge turning point for Vergura/Chacura, and then a series of u-turns, roundabouts, and stop signs. Road Rage!**

By the time the Battle Force 5 got to the diner, the party was in full swing. The tables and seats had all been pushed back in order to create a huge dance floor, and snacks covered the counter. Stanford seemed to be having a great time DJ'ing, and Zeke had gone all out with streamers (Some of which had already been torn down), balloons (Being tossed around like volleyballs) and a huge sign that read in bright colors **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!** He had allowed Grace to use the diner under two conditions…

"Now, no one gets in the kitchen, y'hear? And keep it legal…I don't need any of your mari-caine or whatever you kids use these days in my restaurant!"

And with that, the party was on. Unfortunately for Zeke, he had neglected to mention alcohol, and Grace _was_ turning twenty-one. So, various bottles were on the counter and red solo cups were littered on the floor, tables, and in the hands of dancing teens. The place wasn't too chaotic, yet, and so Battle Force 5, more than ready to forget the Key and bring on Ke$ha, joined their fellow teens on the dance floor. Vert headed for Stanford first, figuring he would want to know how their mission had gone, and Agura, avoiding the bar (she had been ever since the incident between her and Vert) tried to find Chace. Slipping in between dancers, Agura made her way to the outer edge of the dance floor.

"Hey baby, why don't you come and dance with us?" Someone called as she passed him, and a group of guys let out wolf whistles. Agura turned red, darting away.

She was about to step up on a table in order to locate Chace when Agura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Y'know, after all this time, I was about to think you weren't going to show." An Australian accent laughed in her ear. Agura melted.

"Sorry about that. We got a little…delayed." She apologized, turning around to face him. Chace looked as adorable as ever, with his cargo shorts and a plaid, unbuttoned-just-the-right-way shirt.

"I'm just glad you could make it." He smiled with a toothpaste-commercial-perfect set of teeth. "You look stunning." He nodded to her outfit.

"Thank you." Agura blushed. "Quite the party, huh?"

"Yeah, a real smash." Chace agreed.

_**THAT. ACCENT. *dies***_

"Kinda scared to see what kind of hangover she'll have though." Chace remarked, gesturing to Grace, who looked like she had started some sort of drinking game with a group of teenagers.

"No kidding." Agura laughed.

"Well hey, let's not just stand here, we're missing out on all the fun!" Chace grinned, taking her hand. "Would you like to dance?"

_Oh no…_

_**What? This is awesome!**_

_Whoregura, we've never been to a party like this before! How are we supposed to dance? _

_**Just…do it like everyone else!**_

_Yeah, but…how?_

_**Here, fill in the blank: Keep your nose to the blank-stone. The daily blank. Stanford blanks his teeth in his sleep which, may I add, is the most ANNOYING-**_

_Wait, grinding? We don't know how!_

_**Well, looks like we're gonna have to learn! Just do what that girl over there is doing!**_

_Oh, you mean being a slut?_

_**Just dance!**_

…_GONNA BE OKAY, DOO-DOO-DOOP, JUST DANCE! THAT'S MY RECORD NAME! DOO, DOO-DOOP-_

_**BOREGURA! YOU CAN AT LEAST TRY TO BE COOL!**_

_Lady GaGa is cool!_

_**Cool like the Sahara.**_

"Y'know, Chace, I'd love to, but…I'm not really a great dancer." Agura bit her lip.

"That's okay; it's easy." Chace grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun!" He took her hand, pulling her into the middle of the dancers.

"Chace!" Agura squeaked, gripping his hand for support. "I don't know what I'm doing!"

"Agura, don't think, just do!" Chace told her, gesturing to the dancers around them. "You think these people rehearsed their dance moves?"

"Well, no," Agura admitted, watching a particularly epileptic girl 'bust a move'.

"Exactly. Now, come on!" Chace exclaimed, beginning to move around. Agura awkwardly tried to follow his example, the movement soon feeling natural. Stanford was doing a better job than anyone had anticipated, playing a mixture of catchy, upbeat songs, and soon she was enjoying herself, laughing and dancing with a few other girls she recognized from town to the sounds of Ke$ha, Gaga, and Brittney.

_*This kitten got your tongue tied in knots I see...*_

The group of girls Agura had somehow found herself with screamed, singing out the lyrics. Agura laughed at their energy, turning around to escape the noise and spotting her teammates.

_*Spit it out 'cause I'm dying for company*_

Spinner was at the booth with Stanford, arguing over why he wouldn't play the Star Wars theme. Stanford was ignoring him and instructing Sherman, who had volunteered to take over for a while so that Stanford would be able to dance with Grace.

Zoom was currently _with _Grace, and though Stanford glared with all his might, they seemed to be having a good time.

AJ had somehow gotten himself mixed in with a group of Grace's girlfriends, and though Agura could tell they were all a little tipsy, he was definitely enjoying himself.

_**Who knew, right? That boy is getting' some tonight.**_

_You're lucky I don't have arms…_

_**Yeah, well, you're lucky I don't have visual examples!**_

Agura scanned the room one more time, but couldn't find Vert. After their encounter in the jungle Zone (which she still wasn't sure how she felt about), she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried.

_What if he was behind the counter with some Barbie doll?_

_**Look, girl, let him have the Barbie doll. Come on, let's enjoy ourselves! This whole love triangle we're caught up in can SMD.**_

_S-M-WHAT?_

Agura shook her head, deciding to take Whoregura's advice-

_**About time.**_

-and have a little fun. She was sick of worrying about Vert anyway. Spurred on by the prospect of emotional freedom, she daringly took a step closer to Chace. He looked her up and down with approval, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

*_I notice that you got it, you notice that I want it*_

"Having fun?" Chace asked over the music, sidling up to her.

"Mhm." She murmured, trying to appear sultry.

_**Oh dear Lord you need classes.**_

"Good." He smirked, moving behind her and taking her hips. Agura's heart jumped in her throat.

*_You know that I can take it, to the next level baby*_

_Whoregura! Help! _

_**What do you mean, help?**_

_This is your area of expertise! Are we grinding right now?_

…_**Meh…Kind of…you could try a little harder…**_

_Are you serious? This is more than enough!_

_**It's never enough for the guy! The good Lord blessed us with a butt; let's put it to good use!**_

Agura gulped. Instinctively, she turned her head to look at Chace. He smiled reassuringly, and she began trying to match his rhythm.

_*If you understood this, sicker than the remix*_

_**Alright! THAT'S what I'm talking about! You go girl!**_

_*Baby let me blow your mind tonight…*_

Loosening up and getting a feel for the motion, Agura put her arms up in the air, finally and thoroughly enjoying herself.

_Who knew these parties could be so…fun?_

_**What did I tell ya?**_

_*I can't take it, take it, take it no more, never felt like, felt like this before, come on get me, get me on the floor*_

Suddenly, Chace wasn't at her back, but had spun her around and was holding her in his arms.

_*DJ what you, what you waitin' for*_

"You're amazing." He murmured, pressing his lips to hers.

_**Hmm. Tastes like vanilla.**_

_**nomnomnomnom!**_

Whoregura was right, and Agura pressed back, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him down to her level. Chace responded by placing his hands on her waist and slowly rocking his hips along with hers.

_**Oh my God; so this is what heaven feels like.**_

And then…

She caught Vert's eye. Watching her from directly across the diner, she froze as they stared at each other, as if the music had died and he was the only one there. Agura couldn't tear her eyes away. Chace was nibbling at her lower lip, but all Agura could focus on was him.

His eyes were hard.

He looked so…hurt.

And she felt so, so terrible.

But Agura somehow managed to pull her eyes away. She separated from Chace and hurriedly excused herself, making a quick stop by the bar. Vert had disappeared. Agura had never been one to drink her problems away, but if she was going to forget the look in his eyes anytime soon, she would need a little help.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It was almost eleven, and as inappropriate as Agura felt admitting it, her legs were sore from dancing! The alcohol, though not much, had done its job, and she was enjoying herself once again.

"Do you wanna take a little breather?" She asked Chace, who nodded.

"I was hoping you would ask sooner or later." He smiled as they moved out of the circle. "I thought you said you weren't a great dancer!" He exclaimed in surprise.

Agura laughed. "I didn't think I was!"

"Coulda fooled me." Chace nudged her.

"Well, thank y-" Agura began, but stopped short.

The lights had gone out, and the party was engulfed in darkness.

"AHHHHHH!" Several girls screamed.

"Chace?" Agura shouted, flailing blindly for his hand in the shadows.

"Right here." A strong Australian accent replied, gripping her tightly. "It's okay."

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but Agura could vaguely make out shapes of confused teens. Chace was trying to calm people down, but he could hardly be heard over the panic.

"I think it's a blown fuse from all this music. I'll see if I can head around back to fix it but I can't get through all these people." Chace said worriedly to her.

Agura narrowed her eyes, bringing two fingers to her mouth.

A sharp whistle stunned everybody into silence.

"Hey, everyone!" Agura called sharply, having gotten the teenager's full attention. She stepped up onto a table in order to be heard. "It's just a fuse, guys, you can calm down. Chace is gonna head outside and give it a look, but he can't get through if you don't hush up and sit down. Is anyone near the door?"

A few voices called out in response.

"Great." Agura nodded. "Now, if everyone could move to the sides of the diner and pull your phones out, we'll have this fixed in a minute."

There was a shuffling of feet and a couple 'ows!' as the teens tried to make a path to the door. Soon, bluish cell phone light illuminated the floor.

"Thank you." Agura called sweetly, jumping down from the table and landing a little unsteadily. She hadn't had much to drink, but whatever it was it must have been strong. She held onto the edge of a table for balance, trying to clear her head. In just a few minutes, the lights were back on, and a cheer went up in the crowd as teenagers surged back onto the dance floor.

"Hey!" Stanford called from above her, and Agura turned her head to see him behind her. "Hardly recognized you in the dark! How's the party?" He winked, coming out from behind the speakers and adjusting the sleeves of her shirt.

"Really fun!" Agura exclaimed.

"I know, I saw you dancing." Stanford muttered, playing the role of the over-protective parent perfectly (A/N: unintentional alliteration FTW!) pulling at a stubborn loose thread. Agura rolled her eyes. "Hey, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, and so did every male in a five foot radius." He raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, I am _not_ that inappropriate." Agura elbowed him, and Stanford shrugged.

"Maybe not." He winked. "But Vert certainly couldn't take his eyes off of you."

Agura's stomach dropped at the sound of his name.

_**Dang it, Stanford, why'd you have to remind us?**_

"Yeah…" She bit her lip. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Not sure." Stanford cocked his head. "Haven't seen him for awhile."

"Kay, well, let me know if you do." Agura instructed.

"No problem." Stanford nodded. "How does the music sound?" He grinned cockily.

"Great as always, Sir Mix-a-Lot." Agura laughed, hurrying away from him as guilt overcame her all over again.

_**Look, we're with Chace! Why should we even feel bad?**_

_I don't know, I just do! Vert's so sweet-_

_**And Chace is so HOT. Hey, that reminds me, MAJOR kudos for dancing! We were bringing sexy BACK!**_

_I personally wish it had stayed there…_

_**Boregura, don't you start!**_

Agura groaned. She just couldn't think about Vert right now. Unfortunately, that thought occurred right when she was walking by the bar, and even though the Boregura in her knew it was a bad idea, she needed to escape the sense of guilt that overcame her whenever she thought of Vert and the sad, betrayed look in his eyes, not to mention the heartache that was rapidly forming.

It had worked before, right? It was just a quick sip…

She remembered all too well what had happened the last time she and Vert had been around alcohol, but…that was different! She was a good girl, right? She wouldn't drink at just any old party.

Maybe she shouldn't…

"Agura!" Chace's voice surprised her, and she turned around to see him maneuvering between dancers to get to her.

"Were you-?" Chace indicated the cup in her hand, a troubled look on his face. Agura flushed with guilt.

"Oh, n-no, it was on the floor, and I just…." She lied. "Helping clean up, y'know."

"Got it." Chace nodded, worry vanishing. "Hey, so, I fixed the lights, but only temporarily. There's a wire that's about to give out, I think, but I'd have to drive all the way into town to replace it."

"Oh." Agura frowned. She had been looking forward to dancing with him. "Do you have to go now?" She pouted.

"Only if you want to be able to see." Chace joked, but she could tell he was disappointed. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" Chace planted a kiss on her forehead and hurried away. Agura frowned; without him she was completely vulnerable to replaying the look in Vert's eyes, not to mention the guy who had been eying her ever since she had hit the dance floor.

And loneliness. The dance skills she had just learned were no fun to use on your own. She could always go talk to Stanford or the other guys (well, not AJ, he was long gone and she honestly didn't want to know where), but that just reminded her of Vert.

Agura sighed, looking down to the half-empty cup still in her hand. The liquid burned her throat as she quickly swallowed it, but the pain distracted her from all the other emotions she was feeling. Agura was still just twenty-one, and hardly accustomed to excessive drinking, so she tried to take just a sip.

She figured hanging out alone by the bar would give people the wrong impression, so she decided to try finding Grace. They weren't the closest of friends but she was a better alternative to the other girls around the diner…

_**Let's see, drunky, screamy, teary, sleepy, slutty and…Okay, I'm pretty sure Portuguese is NOT that girl's first language!**_

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Hey mate, I was looking for you earlier!" Stanford exclaimed as Vert walked past him. "Where'd you disappear off to?"

"Nowhere." Vert responded brusquely. He had actually been outside, thinking things over, until the lights had gone out, and then, lo and behold, the amazing Chace had saved the freaking day. Fantastic.

"Hm. Well, y'know, party's still going! Cheer up, dance a little!" Stanford winked. Vert groaned. His obvious attempts to cheer him up were cute, but the last thing he needed.

"Whatever, Stan." He said, walking off. It was just a little too much ego for him to deal with right now.

"Well, if you're going to be like that then." Stanford hmphed, and ignoring the moody blonde, spun another track.

_*Honestly, why are my clothes out on the street?*_

_*Honestly, I think you've lost your mind*_

Vert rolled his eyes.

_*I can't believe, I came home to find my car, keyed*_

This song was supposed to relate to him somehow? If someone so much as thought about keying the Saber, they would be doing chores for the next six years.

_*Honestly I'm way too tired to fight*_

_Okay. Truer. _He thought about Agura dancing with Chace and how he had simply looked away, too hurt to try.

_*Round and round, drama everytime…Imma go 'cause I got no problem of saying goodbye*_

No problem of saying goodbye? _Saying goodbye sucks._ He was still trying to cling to Agura, keep her from Chace. Their moment in that BattleZone…

_*Is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life? Deep down I know I should cry, I should scream, and get down on my knees, and say that I need you here*_

That was exactly what he felt like doing.

_*But I'm gonna party tonight…Cause honestly I just don't care.*_

_Huh_. Vert thought, his eyes opened. Maybe he was just thinking about this the wrong way. Agura was with Chace, and he had tried his best, but he couldn't change that.

Maybe he just needed to let it go.

*_Honestly I just don't care*_

Vert allowed himself a smile. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

_*Honestly, everybody's stumped, I'm finally free*_

He entered the mob of dancers with a fresh look, allowing himself to gaze and even smile at a few of the girls.

_*Honestly, my phone's blowin' up tonight*_

If he was lucky, they'd be either single or wink back.

_*I'll go out, get drunk again; make out with all your girlfriends, tag your face, just to rub it in*_

A brunette made eye contact with him, nodding approvingly and winking. Vert gave her 'the look', smoothly making his way over.

"Hey blondie."

"Hey."

_*Imma go 'cause I got no problems with saying goodbye, is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life? Deep down I know I should cry, I should scream, and get down on my knees, and say that I need you here. But I'm gonna party tonight,*_

Her name was Alex. She was single. And man, could she dance.

_*Cause honestly I just don't care*_

*****A/N: Okay, this just happened now guys: I was listening to this song (Hot Chelle Rae BTW) for lyrics, I accidentally hit shuffle and one of the songs that ALWAYS inspires me to write Vergura came on. COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT!*****

But somehow, it just felt wrong. Alex was cute, sure, but she was just a rebound; too fast, too soon. Agura was still in the diner somewhere, dancing away with Chace.

_*So don't roll up when they're playin' my song, don't act right when you know you're dead wrong, you're outta line, outta line, goodnight*_

But he couldn't blame her. He hadn't had the courage to make a move, and while he was gathering it another guy already had.

_* I'm under covers you can drop that bomb it's a little too late 'cause I'm already gone, I'm already gone*_

But he was nowhere near gone. Alex…didn't mean anything. He was still gripping to Agura.

_*Honestly, you did it to yourself so don't blame me*_

_That line could have been freaking sung by her._ He groaned, watching her dance across the diner.

_Wow…_ She was incredible. So beautiful, and free, dancing like she didn't have a care in the world. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to be next to her, dancing at her side, and in that _skirt…_

But wait…_where was Chace? _His Australian opponent was nowhere to be found!

Did he still have a chance?


	9. Don't Even Think

**A/N: A bit farther down, I'm borrowing part of Fenrir's Daughter's story arc, with Vert's mom in Brush Hollow. Just a heads up. This is the second half of the party scene, and I'm not saying why, but there is more swearing than I usually include. Gotta keep the emotion! This is…maybe my favorite chapter. Enjoy!**

**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**

Agura had finally found Grace (who she already could tell would have a major hangover in the morning, not that it was her placed to judge considering she wasn't exactly sober herself, and she knew firsthand how rough the twenty-first birthday could be, _especially _on teens who hadn't drank before. Spinner's 21st? Ouch.), and was dancing with her and a group of her girlfriend's who were what Whoregura liked to call…

_**Drunkbians.**_

_Drunkbe-whats?_

_**Drunkbians. You know, sloppy drunk white girls? The ones that just les it up everywhere the second they touch alcohol? **_

_Whoregura, English, please?_

_**THEY MAKE OUT WITH GIRLS WHEN THEY GET DRUNK. DRUNK. LESBIANS. DRUNKBIANS. Kapeesh?**_

_**Kaposh.**_

Agura tried not to pay too much attention to the 'drunkbians,' (certainly none of the guys they were dancing with minded them) but it was when they started trying to make a move on her that it got irritating, Grace not yet included but probably nearing the fence. She decided it would probably be strategic to leave the situation before pictures were snapped, but someone bumped into her as she turned, blocking her way out.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I…" Agura trailed off, having to tilt her neck upward (which didn't exactly help the alcohol-grogginess; she was starting to question the strength of whatever drink had been in that cup) to apologize to the guy she had accidentally bumped into. He was tall and muscular-thick, probably a defensive master on any football team if she had to guess.

"Leaving so soon?" This guy, whoever he thought he was, gave her a cocky grin. His breath stank of alcohol.

"Just taking a breather." Agura tried again to dart past him, but he still blocked her escape.

"But aren't you having fun?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Vert was still watching Agura, trying to build up the courage to go over and talk to her (and ignore the girl-on-girl action that had always been present when teens and alcohol were mixed) when someone big and tall blocked his view. Vert instinctively clenched his jaw.

Mason 'Big G' Grant. All six-foot-three of him. Mason and Vert had been fierce rivals for quarterback of the Handler's High Cowboys back in the day, and Vert had just barely beaten him out for the position. Mason had held a grudge for the entire season, and every once in a while reminded Vert by letting one of the opposing team's biggest players 'slip by him' and straight into the undeserving Wheeler.

In short, they hated each other's guts. And now Mason was getting a little too close to Agura's.

"I-I gotta go." Vert muttered through clenched teeth to Alex, who turned after him in a pout. Vert was already gone, pushing through dancers and other teens and keeping Agura in his sights. He watched as she kept trying to evade the hefty footballer, but to no avail. He reached for her with huge arms and Vert growled lowly.

Oh _hell_ no.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"C'mon, babe, dance with me." Mason slurred drunkenly, reaching for her waist. Agura disgustedly moved back, but he closed his fingers around her necklace, nearly choking her in the process.

"Let me _go_." She hissed, elbowing him.

"Ooh, you're feisty…" He purred in her ear. "I like that."

"Get off of me!" Agura panicked. Everything was moving too fast, his stinking breath by her face, huge hands still wrapped around the necklace and moving for her chest-

"Hey, Mason!" Someone called, and he released her to whip around. Agura took the opportunity to snatch her necklace back, turning to face her savior.

It was none other than Vert.

"Hey, back off, Grant." Vert snarled, smacking his hand away from Agura and protectively pulling the latter closer to him. Under normal circumstances, Agura's cheeks would have flamed, but now she drew closer into the shelter of Vert's strong, unwavering stance. Though the music still pounded, a few teens were eying them curiously, waiting to see if a fight would break out.

"What's the matter, Wheeler?" Mason taunted drunkenly. "Am I gettin' too close to your _girl-friend_?" He slurred, putting extra emphasis on the final word. "Gonna fight me for her, are ya?"

"I'd prefer not to waste my time." Vert glared. He was pounding with rage; it took everything he had not to swing at his enemy.

"Aw, c'mon, Wheeler!" Mason tried to throw a friendly arm around Vert, who disgusted shoved him off. "It'll be just like old times, huh?" He stared Vert straight in the face, his casual tone betrayed by hatred in his eyes.

"Get a mint, Mason." Vert pushed the jock back. "Or should I say a breathalyzer?"

"Alright, Wheeler, you're just asking for it now." Mason threatened. "What do you say, are we gonna fight for your pretty little girlfriend over here?" He reached out with sweaty hands to grope Agura's waist, and Vert just snapped.

"Get your filthy hands _off_ of her." He growled, drawing back his arm. Mason barely had the time to summon a taunt before Vert's fist smashed into his nose, sending him stumbling backward in pain.

"You little son of a b*tch…" Mason hissed, only succeeding in making Vert more furious as he was more sensitive than most people knew about his mother. Mason immediately retaliated and throwing a punch at Vert's chest, when the incredible happened.

Vert moved quick as lightning, grabbing and stopping Mason's fist mid-punch and twisting his arm so that the hefty redneck yelped in pain.

"What the _hell_?" He demanded, held immobile by the maneuver Vert had performed.

"I warned you. Touch her again and I'll break your damn arm." Vert growled lowly. Mason glared from his compromised position.

"Get out of my face, Wheeler." He spat. Vert narrowed his eyes, twisting the arm of the hunched-over coward even further. Despite himself, Mason grunted in pain.

"Fine."

Vert glaringly released him, and Mason slowly stood up, cocky sneer back in its usual position.

"You can keep the prude-"

_Crack!_

Vert saw red. He didn't even know he had done it until his fist collided with Mason's face with a bone-breaking impact, and the hefty teen howled in pain, clutching his nose and glaring at with murder in his eyes.

"Bad idea, Wheeler." He growled, blood beginning to show.

"Get out of my sight, Mason." Vert spat angrily. He turned to Agura, putting a protective arm around her waist. She was shaking; disoriented from alcohol and scared. "Let's get out of here." They turned, heading straight for the exit.

"You'll pay for that, Wheeler!" Mason roared. "You better watch your back!"

Vert didn't even give him the pleasure of turning around.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They moved together, not saying a word, to the parking lot behind the diner.

"You okay?" He asked softly, as they sat on the asphalt. She hugged her knees, his arm was supportively on her shoulder and she had a massive headache. It was simply too much.

"Y-yeah." She murmured. "Thank you." It was the automatic thing to say. She didn't even know if she meant it. Her head was swimming.

"It was nothing." Vert brushed the incident off. They were re-descending into their uncomfortable state again, and Agura felt it too. She fought to clear her head, to summon the strength to look him straight in the eyes and just say-

"No, really. Thank you." She said forcefully, turning to stare him in the face, to prove that she meant it. "I-…"

Agura paused. He was looking at her in concern; eyes honest and blue as ever, searching her face for damage. The eyes of someone who cared, so deeply, that they were spellbound. Just like her. Vert gulped at the sudden moment; almost a copy of what they had experienced in the jungle zone but infinitely stronger. He had just saved her, and now, he wanted to claim her. He wanted, no, he _needed_ to kiss her, as if to prove that she was safe, untouched, _his_.

She was drawing closer and closer to him now, trembling lips about to meet. Vert ached with need as he brought his hand to cradle the smooth skin of her cheek. She half-closed her eyes, thick lashes fluttering. Vert's heart was pounding, his head was racing, and he realized he didn't need to think, or worry. Just to stop, live in the moment. Right now, with her. He closed the gap, and they drew together, finally touching what both of them had avoided for so long.

_Fireworks_. Agura thought. When they had connected, two people moving in harmony, she had felt fireworks. All the tension and angst between them had simply exploded, disappeared. It was amazing; it was perfect, it was simply…right. They been so afraid of a relationship this whole time, when in truth it was exactly what both of them needed. And Vert felt it too. He felt…fulfilled. He had craved the soft touch of her lips on his for so long, and they had done it. Agura was breathless. Her mind swam with need for oxygen but she couldn't stand to pull away from him even for a second. The months they had spent so carefully avoiding even the brush of an arm now seemed years ago, and she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever. Finally, the need for air overcame the great passion she felt for him, and she pulled away, gasping.

Then their eyes met, exchanging the feelings neither had words for.

"Vert, I-" She started quickly, wanting to say so much to him.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled quietly, turning to stare at the ground. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No, Vert, it's-" She was pleading now. She had to stop him from apologizing; let him know it was okay.

"It's just…" He sighed. "When that prick Mason grabbed you…" Vert trailed off. He had so much he wanted to tell her, yet…none of it would come out.

"Vert…" Agura said softly, placing her hand on top of his.

"You're so beautiful, Agura." Vert choked out, turning to face her with intensity in his eyes. "You really are, and when he tried to take advantage of you like that…" He shook his head. "I couldn't even stand it."

Agura was lost for words. The ones he had said to her meant so much.

"And I want you to know," He began, facing her and gripping her hand tightly in his, "If anybody _ever_ tries _anything_ like that again…" He bit his lip, searching blindly for the courage to go on.

"Look, Agura, I love you. And I know that I can't, but please," He spoke with such intensity and determination that it chilled her. "At least let me protect you."

"Vert…I…" Agura didn't know what to say. Her mind was malfunctioning; she couldn't even process a sentence. The pure emotion he had just expressed for her was overwhelming, and she didn't even know how to thank him.

So she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around resolute shoulders, and kissed him with all of her might. She wanted to prove to him everything she was feeling; that she was so grateful for him, just to have him by her side. That there never should have been a decision to make; two people to choose between. He was the one, and she needed to show him that.

Agura's kiss…it meant everything to Vert. That she had been the one to close the gap, the one to instigate the bond, the one to prove that he hadn't loved her in vain. Everything was genuine, and passionate, and in the midst of all their past encounters and mistakes, it fit. Perfectly.

They finally pulled apart, even if it felt like they had only just begun. They stared at one another in total synchronization, waiting for someone to break the silence.

"Vert, I…" Agura frowned, confused. "I want you to…ugh, I can't even think straight…" She groaned, clutching her head. Vert looked at her more closely.

"My God, Agura. Are you drunk?" He gaped in shock, leaning in to check her eyes.

"No. Maybe. I don't know! I was looking at you, and dancing with Chace, and that thing in the jungle happened, and then there was that Mason guy…" Agura rambled troubledly, and Vert inadvertently ground his teeth at the sound of his enemy's name. "I just…" She stopped, leaning a tired head on his shoulder.

"Can we go home?"

"Yeah." Vert nodded decisively. "Come on. Let's get you back." He stood, holding out his hand to her. Agura shakily pulled herself up, holding him tightly for support, and Vert let out a grim smile, wrapping his arm around her back. He desperately wanted to carry her, but knew it was best to take things slow. He guided her to her car, attaching the towline to the Saber.

"I think it would be best if you didn't drive." He whispered, placing her gently in the seat. Vert took his place in the Saber and drove both of them towards the Hub.


	10. I Think I Love You, Now What?

**NOTE: Continuity error has been fixed. Thanks Fenrir's Daughter and sorry for any confusion.**

**Warnings: Spinner showing some signs of maturity. ? XD**

It was quiet in the Hub. Everyone was still at the party and Sage had long since hibernated. Vert walked Agura to her bedroom, and she went to the mirror, removing the jewelry and pulling off her shoes. He waited politely at the door, engrossed watching her fumble to find the clasp of her necklace. He finally stepped in, scooping her hair back and removing it. Agura sighed as Vert ran nimble fingers through her hair.

"Thank you." She whispered, leaning against him ever so slightly. "My mom used to do that."

"I know." Vert replied, surprising both of them. Agura was confused.

"How?"

"I-I don't know." Vert realized slowly, his eyes falling on a red-and-white t-shirt neatly folded on her floor. "You must have told me." He left her side for a moment in curiosity, picking it up. Agura noticed what he was doing, but it was too late.

It was his.

"You kept it." He said in disbelief. Agura shamefully avoided his eyes, taking a seat on her bed. "I can't believe…"

"I know, I should have just given it back!" She blurted, overwhelmed. "But…I was so scared." Her voice was small, and Vert sat next to her, tilting her chin up and looking her in the eyes.

"I kept your sweatshirt too." He confessed. "It's…sitting in my room right now." He chuckled with discomfort. "So…"

"You remember too?" Agura asked quietly.

"Not everything." Vert replied, both of them looking down at the floor.

"Me neither." She shook her head, and for the moment they sat in silence.

"Well," Vert finally stood. "I'm exhausted. Let's talk about it tomorrow." He made to leave, but Agura stood up and stopped him.

"Wait." She bit her lip, anguished, and he turned around in interest.

"What?"

Agura took a deep breath. "You have to promise me, that no matter how uncomfortable this gets tomorrow, we won't go back to not talking about it." Vert was a little surprised.

"No, o-of course not." He agreed, but Agura shook her head.

"_Promise._" She insisted, and it was then that Vert realized how significant the ordeal had been to her.

"I promise." He said firmly. Agura smiled softly, pulling him tight for an embrace. Vert hugged her back.

"Goodnight." He murmured to her, kissing the top of her head. He couldn't help it; it was impulse.

"Night." Agura replied drowsily. As he left, she tugged off the tight clothing, blindly grabbed pajamas from her floor, slipped them on and quickly fell asleep.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The next morning was, to describe it in one word, crazy. AJ was missing, Stanford and Zoom were tearing at each other's throats over whose present had been the favorite (with the late arrival, they had been forced to add the gifts to the quickly growing pile in order to get them to Grace), Spinner was hungover, Sherman and Vert were caught between breaking Stanford and Zoom apart, replacing Spinner's buckets, and searching for AJ's comlink signal whenever they had a free second. Sage was with Tezz in the lab, and Agura had not yet woken up. She and Vert hadn't returned to the Hub until past midnight, so it was understandable that she was still sleeping. Vert would have grudgingly added that he was already up if not for the fact that he was A) completely and totally infatuated with her and B) worried she might be suffering a hangover as well.

"Sherm! You find AJ yet?" Vert called as they passed each other in the hallway.

"Too busy with Spinner!" His teammate replied hurriedly.

"Bleaggghhhh!"

"Ugh, not again!"

"I'm telling you, Zoom, girls would take jewelry over cake any day!"

"Stan, please, you probably bought that jewelry at the dollar store!"

"Oh, like your cake was so high-quality!"

"Tastes better than a necklace!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Yeah, well, neither does your hairstyle!"

"Zoom! You can't insult people's fashion choices when you wear a freaking TOWEL on your HEAD!"

"IT'S A HEADBAND!"

"Will you _children_ keep it down?" Vert rolled his eyes, stepping in between the fight that was about to break out.

"He's talking to you, Zoom." Stanford muttered, and Vert barely had the time to step in between the two of them before Zoom lunged at Stanford.

"Guys! Please?" He stared them down, and both grudgingly gave in.

"Fine."

"Okay, good. Now do either of you know where AJ is?" Vert asked worriedly.

"Last I saw him he was at the party with a bunch of Grace's friends." Zoom shrugged.

"Ten bucks he's on one of their couches right now." Stanford muttered devilishly. Vert fixed him with a glare that could have frozen lava. "OR MAYBE JUST CRASHED IN THE GEARSLAMMER!" Stanford added hurriedly, and Vert rolled his eyes.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen." He shook his head, and the two quickly ran, bumping each other purposefully in the hallway. Vert joined the rest of his team in the kitchen; despite the mildly hectic morning he had managed to throw together a meal, and everyone was present save Spinner and Agura.

"Hey, whose day is it to cook, I'm starving." Agura appeared, flopping into a chair at the kitchen table.

"It's my turn; bacon's almost done." Vert called from the stove, tending to a frying pan.

"Great." She replied, then noticed Zoom, Spinner, Sherman, AJ, and even Tezz staring directly at her chest.

"Uh, guys?" She raised an eyebrow, mentally checking that she was wearing a bra. Most of them blushed, looking away, but Stanford answered her question.

"Agura, Vert, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Stanford asked slyly.

"What do you mean?" Vert turned around, spatula in hand.

_**God, that man can even pull off an apron and bedhead.**_

"Nothing." Stanford replied innocently, earning a warning glare from Sherman and AJ that didn't stop him from going on. "I just wasn't aware that you two share a wardrobe now." He remarked casually.

Agura instantly glanced down in panic, finding herself looking straight at a flaming red star, smack-dab in the center of a white T-shirt that perfectly matched the one Vert had on right now.

"Is there something you two need to share?" Stanford finished, a devilish smirk on his face. Spinner, Zoom, and even Tezz looked back and forth between the two in awe, while Sherman facepalmed, he figured Stanford was being a jerk. Vert and Agura locked eyes. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking, and as that moment Agura knew he remembered that night just as well as she.

"Actually, yes." Agura stood up, recovering from the shock in time to hopefully spin up something believable. "We obviously need to _stop_ sharing the washing machine!" She started to laugh, hoping Vert would catch on.

"Haha, see, I figured we could save water, but I must have missed something sorting." Agura continued, spinning the lie out of thin air. "Sorry about that, Vert, I was so tired last night I must have just thrown it on." Her smile was casual, but her eyes let him known that if they made one false move, they were toast.

"That's fine; you can just get it back to me later." Vert responded, equally nonchalant. He returned to the frying pan at the stove, and Agura took her seat. Stanford raised a suspicious eyebrow but overall, it seemed their lie had worked.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Vert set a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs on the table, and the food was set upon ravenously, subject dropped.

"Okay, guys, training is off today until we find AJ," Vert began once they had finished eating (most of them, anyway; Sherman was still quietly savoring his third helping)

"I'm telling you, Vert, he went home and had a ménage a twa with those girls at the party!" Stanford cut in. "He'll come home once the hangover passes; trust me. We DJs have seen it all."

"I hate to admit it, Vert, but Stanford's right. AJ can probably handle himself." Sherman added. "Don't worry about him."

"Personally, it's the girls I'm worried about." Spinner muttered, earning a glare from Vert and stifled laughter from his teammates.

"Okay, AJ is no womanizer, you guys." Vert rolled his eyes. "Anyway, training's off; everyone's tired from the party. Stan and Zoom, try not to kill each other, and Spinner, I need to talk to you." The team slowly dispersed; Spinner and Agura hanging around.

"What's up, bro?" Spinner asked once everyone had filed out.

"Uhm, do you remember that one time we accidentally shrunk your shirt in the washer and you got us super drunk for revenge?" Vert asked uncomfortably.

"First off, it wasn't an accident; you shrunk it on purpose, but yes." Spinner raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I was wondering…Did you record any security tapes from that night?" Vert asked. Agura was drying dishes, watching the two with a little amusement but mostly worry as to Spinner's reaction.

"Yeah, the cameras are always on." Spinner nodded. "What do you need?"

"Well, I was thinking that uhm, maybe you could, ah, access a few of them for me?" Vert mumbled, staring down at the floor.

"Well of course I _could_…." Spinner began slowly, confusion in his eyes. "But why?"

"Well, ah, me and, uhm, Agura, we ah…" Vert stammered out; he was blushing.

"We kind of need your help, Spinner." Agura stepped in, nudging Vert ever so slightly to show her support. "Do you think you could pull up the recording of Vert's room from that night?" Spinner's eyes widened just the tiniest bit.

"I remember now! You guys snuck off and-" He was cut off by Agura.

"Yeah, we know. Look, we really need your help working this mess out, Spin. Can you help us?" She asked sincerely, and Spinner realized this was not something to make a joke out of.

"Yeah." He nodded. "But hey, I only did that to get revenge on you guys! I don't see why I have to help you." He folded his arms, only trying to show that he had still retained some of his annoying self.

"Free porn?" Agura suggested, using her last resort, and Vert's eyes widened.

Spinner shrugged. "Eh. Alright." He agreed, leading them to the security room. He typed madly on the blue keyboard and had a tape pulled up in seconds.

"You guys sure about this?" He questioned upon seeing their faces.

"Yes." Agura nodded.

"We think." Vert added anxiously.

"Alright; I'll leave you alone then." Spinner shrugged. "You can use these buttons to pause, rewind, whatever." He explained briefly, and ducked out.

"Ready?" Vert asked Agura.

"Wait." She stopped him. "Vert, this really means a lot to me. What if….well, who knows what happened?"

"Then we should promise. No matter what happens, we have to promise we won't let it change things." Vert decided.

"Okay." She nodded, and surprisingly reached out, gripping his hand tightly for support. Vert took a deep breath, stretched his arm toward the keyboard, and pressed play.

**EVIL CLIFFIE, I KNOW….But it was a good place to stop! This chapter can't just run on forever, you know.**


	11. Healing

**A/N: This gets un poco (a little in Spanish; I just tried watching the Spanish version of the BF5 movie and understood maybe about five words? XD) more M-rated, but not for the reason that you think. I put a lot of work into this chapter to make it all cute and emotional and lovey-dovey and I think I did a decent job for someone whose romantic experience…hasn't happened yet. Song of the day/chapter: 'Tell Me That You Love Me' from Victorious. Just 'case I'm corny. XD Disclaimer: Again, borrowing the whole 'Vert's-mom-in-Brush-Hollow' plot from Fenrir's Daughter.**

The screen didn't change; it simply stayed black.

"What the…" Vert muttered, hitting the button again. Agura had already realized the problem.

"Vert…"

"Hold on, I think I got it-"

"Vert."

"Maybe it's the wrong night?"

"Vert!"

"Yes?" He looked to her innocently, and Agura took a deep breath.

"The security cameras in our rooms turn on and off for privacy." She began slowly. "You must have forgotten to activate yours."

"Oh." Vert was crestfallen. "That's a problem, then."

"Yup." She sighed uncomfortably.

"So then…"

"Basically I have no idea if you deflowered me." Agura, in an effort to ease the tension, gave him a smirk.

"Oh my God, you were a virgin?!" Vert gaped, then facepalmed in despair. "I am seriously going to hell."

"No you're not." Agura rolled her eyes playfully. "We don't even know what happened-"

"A virgin! Frick! That would have been useful information to know before I dragged you half-drunk into my bedroom! God!" Vert groaned, sinking to the floor.

"Will you calm down?" Agura rolled her eyes. "It's not like I carry it around on a card! This is _not_ your fault."

"Wait…Are you _sure_ you're a virgin?" Vert tilted his head, and Agura blushed. "Because, I mean, don't get me wrong, but…I remember a couple things, and…"

"And?" Agura raised her eyebrow, egging him on.

"Virgins don't bend like that." Vert muttered awkwardly, trying to hide his blush, and Agura's eyes widened, slapping a palm to her mouth.

"Oh…my God." She realized. "We totally screwed each other."

"Screwed each other over!" Vert added in exasperation. "Do you know how _bad_ I feel? I seduced you when you were _drunk_! That's like, the ultimate sign of a douchebag!"

"Okay, I'm pretty sure you did not 'seduce' me." Agura laughed, taking a seat next to him on the floor.

"Really?" Vert looked to her in interest. "I can be very seductive."

"I'm pretty sure I would be the one seducing." Agura stopped him. "You would just be the seduced."

"I prefer to think of it as joint seduction." Vert remarked.

"Nope. I'm definitely sexier than you." Agura shook her head.

"Please." Vert held up a hand.

Agura raised an eyebrow, smirking to indicate she had won. "Come on, Vert, I think we both know that if we went out there right now and asked all the guys on the team who was sexier, I would win six-zero."

"Hey! I might get Tezz's vote." Vert pointed out, causing both of them to laugh.

"Tezz's vote doesn't count; he doesn't have emotions." Agura finally retorted, nudging him with her elbow.

"Okay, well in terms of things that shouldn't count, winning when the surveyed group is full of males certainly falls into that category." Vert folded his arms, and Agura laughed. "But I have to be honest, I'd pick you over me too." He admitted.

"Well thanks." Agura winked. "So would I." Vert pretended to roll his eyes in exasperation, nudging her lovingly with his elbow. Without a better retort, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, sides touching and leaning against each other just the slightest. Agura was finally the one to break the silence.

"Vert." She began quietly. "What is this?"

Roused from the pleasant tranquility, Vert looked at her closely. "What do you mean?"

"This. Us." She sighed. "I mean, we can't talk to each other to save our lives one minute, and then times like this we just _connect_." She leaned her head against his shoulder, and Vert smiled softly. "I mean…I'm just so confused! I don't know if we have a relationship, or if we're just trying to sort this mess out."

Vert was deeply touched. He loved seeing this new side of Agura; the pure, raw emotion that she usually hid. It made him feel as though they shared something special, something the rest of the team didn't see.

"You give me these feelings that I don't even have _words_ for, Vert." Agura sighed. "I just…don't know what to do with you sometimes."

"I think that's called love." He said softly. He hadn't really thought about saying it, it had simply come out. But he meant it, every word. Agura lifted her head from his shoulder to meet his eyes, and Vert realized that it was at these moments he felt closest to her, most wanted to make the extraordinary huntress his. Their faces were close now, each waiting for the other to break the fragile silence. This time it was Vert who spoke.

"Would it be okay," he asked softly slowly, afraid to scare the moment away, "If I kissed you?"

Her reply was quiet but immediate. "Yes."

He moved to kiss her, their lips just barely touching. Emotion surged through her being at the tiniest point of contact, and she involuntarily gasped at the flood. Vert stopped, pulled back in surprise and dejection, but she was already pulling him closer to her, so that their lips collided. It was a new, almost shocking kind of feeling for her, the sudden hunger for him. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was love. But there was something more profound to it, a pulsing, erogenous desire that made her want to surrender the control she normally strived to keep over to _him_. It was a strange sensation for Agura and she wasn't quite sure what to do about it. All she knew was that, at that moment, she wanted to be as close to Vert as possible. He was more experienced than her at this sort of thing, and every move he made only heightened her desire. She found herself pushing at him, exploring every inch of his lips and even his mouth as their tongues found each other. She was breathing heavily as they kissed, more and more frenzied, and now they weren't just sitting up face-to-face, but tangled up in each other. She was in his lap, she was on his waist, she was lying on top of him in an ongoing battle for dominance. Agura knew he was struggling, trying to decide if what they were doing was truly right, but she was beginning to realize that it had been him all along. She had always felt affection for him, and now things between them were finally heating up, which is why she was so startled when he stopped her.

"What are you…" She trailed off, confused. Things had escalated, to say the least, and she was straddling him, with Vert's back against the cyan wall and each with their arms wrapped tightly around the other, pulling them closer. Both were panting heavily, and Agura slowly let her arms fall to her side, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. He didn't want her, and she had pushed him too far. She was no better than any one of the girls at that party, and she made an attempt to move off of his waist in humiliation.

"Don't." He said quietly, placing his hand on her leg to keep her there.

"But you…" She trailed off again, unable to find words to describe his actions. "You don't want me." She fought back a tear.

"Agura…I've wanted you for two _years_." He said softly. "I just need to know something."

"What?" She lifted her head, her voice quiet, hopeful even. His next words shocked her to the core.

"Do you love me?" His eyes searched her for any sign of an answer. "I can't do this if you don't."

She was so taken aback by the question that it took her moments to find the obvious response. Did she truly love him? What did he mean, love? She had always felt _something_ for him. Was love really so different?

Of course it was. Love was real, and true, nothing small about it. Love was how her stomach did back handsprings whenever he walked into the room. Love was every awkward glance, blush and exchange they had shared. Love was the look in his eyes when Mason had grabbed her at the party. Love was…

Something they had for each other.

He was waiting for her to answer, she realized with a start, and she knew exactly what to tell him.

"Yes."

He pulled her into a long kiss, only breaking long enough to whisper two words against her lips, as soft and sweet as the summer breeze.

"Thank you."

He kissed her for a long time, until they finally came up for air.

"I do love you. You know that, right?" She asked quietly, looking into blue eyes.

He pulled her close. "I've wanted to hear you say that for so long." She still sat on his hips, but there was nothing sexual about it. Each only wanted to be as close to the other as possible, but not wanting to ruin what had just begun to heal, she moved off, taking her place next to him and leaning against the wall. There was a satisfied silence for a few minutes, but it didn't last long.

"Do you remember how we talked?"

"Hmm?" She looked to him in curiosity, and Vert sighed deeply.

"All I remember from that night, other than wanting to touch you in as many ways as possible, was just lying there and _talking_." He said wistfully, as if trying to remember. "Am I crazy?" He looked to her for validation, and Agura looked thoughtful.

"No…I remember too." She furrowed her brow as if struggling to recall. "You…" Agura narrowed her eyes in concentration one last time. A particular memory was calling to her, begging to be brought up, and suddenly her eyes widened with realization.

"You told me about your mom."

Vert felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. All the memories came flooding back, how she had been so caring, and understanding, and how with the help of alcohol he had just wanted to pour everything out to someone, share the weight he had been bearing alone for so long. Dark pasts and hidden secrets had tumbled out of him, and she had listened to every word.

"Oh my God…I did." The full weight of the truth of his statement hit him. "You must think I'm insane."

"You're not insane."

"Don't lie to me!" His shaking voice rose. "My dad disappeared and my mother is locked up and you can sit here telling me I'm perfectly normal?!"

"Vert, don't do this to yourself-"

"How can I not?!" Vert demanded, knowing he was being unreasonable but too hysterical to care. He loathed that she knew this _thing_ about him; his mortifying, horrible past. "After everything that happened; after everything I told you? I don't know how you can even look at me without seeing a freak." Vert shook his head in shame.

"Because I _love _you!" Agura cried. Seeing him hurt so badly hurts her even more. "I _don't _see you as a freak and I hate that you even _think_ of yourself that way! I don't care about your past or what your parents did, I only care about you, and I can't stand seeing you do this to yourself!" She realized how she had made an outburst and paused, taking a deep breath. "Your parent's choices don't make you who you are, Vert." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, and there was silence.

"You're kind of broken, aren't you?" Agura asked quietly.

"I don't even know. I mean, when this whole thing…between us, started, I was such a coward about it. I was scared to talk to you, I was scared to even look at you the wrong way in case you thought I had taken advantage of you, and I just felt so terrible, and guilty, and embarrassed-"

"Stop." Agura put her finger to his lips, and he looked at her in curiosity. She could see all of the pain in his eyes.

"Just stop, and be here. Forget about the past and just be here with me."

This left him silent for a long time.

"How can you possibly be so good to me?" He finally shook his head, not meeting her eyes. "After everything that happened? After me sleeping with you and refusing to even talk about it? Even when you knew about my parents and didn't tell a soul?"

"I don't know." Agura shook her head. "But there was never a part of me that wanted to hate you for it. In a way…I kind of understood. And then we just didn't talk about it, didn't talk at all for a while, and suddenly everything was normal again. I guess I kind of felt the same way you did; not wanting to ruin it all over again."

"You're not the one who ruined it." Vert muttered to himself, and she sighed. "Can you forgive me?" He asked suddenly, desperately, and she was shocked into silence.

"Forgive you for what?"

"For this. For that. For everything." He spoke in riddles that somehow made perfect sense. "I just need to know that we're okay. That _you're _okay."

"I'm more than okay." Agura rested her head on his shoulder. "In fact…" She continued as he wrapped an arm around her. "I'm perfect."


End file.
